


Sweet Serendipity (Harry Styles Story)

by GuitarAngel



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-04
Updated: 2016-01-03
Packaged: 2018-04-24 20:31:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 47,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4934269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GuitarAngel/pseuds/GuitarAngel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Emily Jo Brighten is going on tour to open for one of the biggest bands in today's music. Two days before the tour begins her best friends, Gabrielle (Gabby) (backup vocals), and her boyfriend, Aaron (drums), convince her to go to a Halloween party. There she meets Harry Styles and the two of them spend time together outside of the club, then share a kiss at her hotel. When Harry asks for her name and number she tells him that if fate brings them together again he'll get an answer. Will they go their separate ways? Or will fate bring them together?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first part of a two part story and I know the first few chapters are kinda bad, but please bare with me. I promise it does get better towards the end and in the last story. There are so many twists and turns that you will not see coming. I promise you that. :)

Emily's POV

"I can't believe you guys are making me go to this stupid party. We have to work in the morning you know." I say to my friends, Jenna and Jason, who had come up with this great idea in the first place.

 

We were about to go on tour with some band that I had yet to know the name of the next day. My manager doesn't really tell me the details half the time so I never figured out what it was.

We walked into the club and I was hit by the strong scent of alcohol and sweat from the people on the dance floor. I would have turned around right then if Jenna hadn't grabbed my arm and pulled me inside. She went straight for the bar to grab a drink before pulling Jason out onto the dance floor. I sighed and sat down at the corner of the bar away from everyone else and ordered a Shirley Temple to drink. This was going to be a loooong night.

"Hey." I heard a male voice say.

Oh, great. Just as I turned to tell the guy to fuck off I saw that it was none other than Harry Styles. Everyone knew who he was since he was part of the biggest band in the world, but I could care less about his title. Or anyone's for that matter. Though I did have to admit that I enjoyed their music and often covered it from time to time during gigs.

"Hi." I smile.

"Is this seat taken?" He asked.

"Nope. Go ahead." I replied, letting him sit next to me.

"So what are you doing here by yourself? I would imagine a girl as beautiful as you would have a boyfriend or someone here with you." He said as he took a sip of his drink.

"I don't have a boyfriend. I came here with my friends, but they're off doing god knows what at this point. I'm third wheeling tonight. Yay me." I gave a fake cheer then mess with the straw in my non alcoholic drink.

"Aren't you supposed to be starting tour tomorrow? What are you thinking getting drunk before the show?" I tease, only getting a smirk from him.

"So, you know who I am then?" He asked.

"Of course I do. I don't live under a rock. I just don't care about the whole celebrity thing. I mean, you're just a guy. It doesn't make you any better than me that you can sing well and have lots of money and fame." I said with a shrug.

"That's very true..." He said with a soft smile. "Do you want to get out of here? Go somewhere else to talk?"

I looked at him for a moment, biting my lip gently as I thought about it. I mean, I really couldn't be safer with him because he is famous and people would notice if he was dragging some girl down an alley. I glance over to see if I could spot my friends, but they were long gone so I decided to just do it.

"Alright. Lead the way." I smile, paying for my drink before following him out of the club.

We somehow managed to slip out a side door without being seen and he grabbed onto my hand, pulling me a bit faster so we could get away from the paps who were stalking the building. I expected him to drop my hand when we were far enough away, but he didn't. Not that I minded though. I may not care about his title but that didn't mean that he wasn't attractive. I also respected him a lot as a songwriter and as a person in general.

"Do you know how to skate?" He asked randomly as we paused in the middle of the sidewalk.

"Um, yeah. Why?" I asked, raising a brow in confusion.

He grinned and started pulling me again, but it didn't take long for me to realize where he was taking me. A few minutes later we were both out on the ice of a skating rink that was practically deserted since it was around closing time, but Harry convinced the worker to let us stay a bit to have some alone time.

"Way to use your fame to get what you want." I teased him.

"What? I just asked him nicely. His sister just happens to be a fan." He smiled.

I roll my eyes playfully and skate around with him for a while, talking with him and giggling as he tried doing stupid things which ended in him falling over. At one point he just full on did a sommersault and I burst out laughing which caused me to fall as well.

"You're such an idiot." I laughed and looked over at him.

"It got you to laugh though didn't it?" He chuckled and smiled at me.

I smiled back then stood up.

"It's getting cold. Why don't we go get some hot chocolate and you can ice your ass." I teased with a giggle as I helped him up.

We made our way over to the shack where the equipment was held and gave our skates back. Harry made a quick little video for the guy's sister then promised to give her a call in the morning as a thank you to the guy for helping him out. He got the number then we made our way to a nearby coffee shop to get our hot chocolate. Harry paid for it despite my arguing and I decided to just let him since he seemed happy to do so.

"So, you're a singer as well? How did you start getting into music?" Harry asked as we sat down at a back table for more privacy.

"It was my dad actually." I smiled softly and had a sip of my drink. "He's always been really into music and as soon as I was old enough to hold a guitar he started teaching me how to play and I've loved it ever since. I just love how people can get so attached to certain songs or how much they feel when listening to them. I've always thought it was such an amazing thing and I want my music to reach out to people like that." I said as I rambled a bit, quickly stopping myself from going any further when I realized what I was doing. "Sorry. I tend to ramble a bit about this kind of thing." I blushed.

"Don't be. I think it's great that you feel that way." He smiled and I found myself smiling back.

We ended up talking for a good couple of hours until we finally realized how late it was. "I should probably get going. My tour starts tomorrow so I should get back to my hotel." He said as he stood up.

"Yeah, I have to work, too." I nodded and stood up as well, tossing my cup into the trash.

"Let me call an Uber. We can both get a ride home." He says as he gets out his phone to do so.

I opened my mouth to argue, but of course there was no point with him. Our ride soon arrived and he sweetly let me get dropped off first to make sure I got to my hotel okay and so I didn't have to ride in the Uber by myself. 

"Can I see you when I get back?" He asked hopefully before I got out.

I smiled softly and nodded.

"Sure." I give him my number and kiss his cheek gently. "Goodnight, Harry."

I smiled then got out and walked up to my room. I got changed into my pajamas then heard my phone beep as I got a message from Harry.

'Goodnight, Beautiful. I definitely can't wait to see you again. -H."

I smiled and put his contact info into my phone then get to sleep, knowing I had a long day tomorrow.

(HARRY'S POV)

I woke up late the next morning to find a message from Emily waiting for me.

'Can't wait to see you either. Don't forget to call that guy's sister or I'll be pretty disappointed with that perfect memory you were bragging about last night. Don't forget about me either. :P -Em.'

I chuckled and replied to her right away.

'Of course I wouldn't forget you... but thank you for reminding me to call that little girl. -H'

Right after I sent it I grabbed the number from my pocket and called the guy from last night so I could have a face time chat with his little sister. She was such a sweetheart and I decided to give them my extra tickets for the show tonight. A few hours later I found myself at the stadium with the boys and Paul. Of course they wanted to know how my night went as soon as we walked to the stage to meet the new opening band. 

"We just talked and exchanged numbers. That's it." I shrugged. "She's definitely a great girl though. She's sweet, funny, and she's got this adorable laugh... I can almost still hear it." I chuckled then heard it again along with a few other voices.

I furrowed my eyebrows and followed the noise to the stage, shocked to find her standing there at the lead mic while she chatted with her other band mates.

"Emily?" I called, seeing her look over at me with an equally shocked expression forming on her face.

"Harry? Wait... Oh my god." She laughed and face palmed herself. "I'm an idiot. When you said you started touring today I should have put it together that yours is the band I'm opening for."

I smiled widely, feeling much more excited about this tour now that I knew she would be here. I immediately climbed up onto the stage to give her a hug.

"Well I'm very glad that you're here." I smiled as I pulled away.

"Me, too." She smiled back.

This tour was definitely going to be amazing.


	2. Chapter 2

Harry POV

The boys and I decide to sit front row while Emily finished her sound check. I had to admit that she had an incredible voice and even though this was just the sound check she still lit up the stage like she was born to be there. The smile never left my face as I listened to her sing, chuckling softly as she playfully stuck her tongue out at me. I did the same in return which made her giggle a big as she sang, causing me to smile again. I just met this girl last night and she already invaded every inch of my thoughts, which wasn't exactly a bad thing now that she was coming on tour with us. I wanted to ask her out on a date, but of course with us being famous and working so much it was pretty much impossible to go out and do things so I guess I would just have to improvise.

Once her sound check was over we got up and did ours. Emily and her friends stayed back to sit where we did earlier, watching our sound check. Of course I was a little more goofy than normal to get her to laugh and soon had her in a fit of giggles which made me smile widely, laughing a bit myself. As soon as I finished I walked over to sit next to her since we had a few more minutes yet before the fans started to come in.

"You were pretty amazing up there. I don't know why you're just opening for us. You should definitely have your own headlining tour." I said to her.

"You're just saying that to be nice." She laughed softly.

No, I genuinely believe it. I'm sure as soon as this tour is over you'll get a lot of recognition." I smiled.

"Well thank you." She smiled.

"Alright I'm going away before you two make me sick with your googly eyes." Her friend teased as she walked off with her boyfriend.

Emily rolled her eyes then looked over at me.

"She says that, yet I have to deal with her and her boyfriend making out all the time and being annoyingly cute. He's the drummer so it's even worse that I have to deal with them this whole tour." She groaned softly.

I chuckled and smirked a bit.

"Well why don't we get revenge on them and make out in front of them?" I said cheekily.

"In your dreams, Styles." She playfully rolled her eyes and got up to head back stage once she spotted a couple fans walking in.

Of course I followed, catching up to her quickly.

"Oh come on. You can't say that you don't want to make out with me. I saw you staring at my mouth last night." I said.

"I never said I didn't want to." She winked at me then slipped into her dressing room before I could respond, leaving me standing in the hallway with a grin on my face.

I definitely had to ask her out now.

(EMILY'S POV)

I spent most of my short break getting ready, making sure everything was perfect before the show. When it was finally time for the show to start I stood back stage, feeling more nervous than I have in my entire life. I had no problem being up on stage if it was in front of a hundred or so people, but this was a stadium that held thousands. I take a deep breath then let it out shakily, pacing a little as I waited to go on.

"First show jitters?"

I turned around to see Harry walking over to me, placing a comforting hand on my arm.

"I didn't think there would be this many people... I don't know if I can do this." I admitted as I looked at him.

"Yes, you can. You're going to be amazing, okay?" He said softly before pulling me into a hug. "Just breathe." He murmured into my hair.

I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. The lights went off signaling that it was time for me to go on and the band went out to start playing which was my cue to go on.

"You got this." He smiled, kissing my cheek before running off. 

I get myself ready then walk out onto the stage, putting my guitar strap over my head as I got it situated. Of course I was nervous as hell being up there, but a whistle made me look down towards the side of the stage. I couldn't help but let out a laugh when I saw all the boys dressed up in wigs from a random dressing room they found. They were dancing around and it definitely calmed me down.

"I'm the kind of girl who doesn't say a word..." I sang, going on with the show and enjoying myself. 

As soon as it ended I rushed back stage and went straight to Harry, giving him a tight hug.

"Thank you." I smiled and kissed his cheek. "You guys make very hot girls by the way." I joked with a giggle as I pulled back to look at them. They all looked ridiculous but it was hilarious.

"Any time, love." Harry grinned, kissing my cheek. "You're staying for our part of the show right?" He asked.

"Of course. I'm going to go change then I'll be back." I promised then rushed off to my dressing room. 

After a quick shower and change of clothes I came back to watch Harry's part of the show, smiling as they all came on. The crowd went wild when they started singing and I completely understood the hype. They definitely put on an amazing show, especially Harry who was jumping all over the place throwing water everywhere and doing those air punches that looked so hot for some reason. He came over to my side and smirked, tossing some water on me. I let out a squeal and huffed, flipping him off which just made him laugh. Of course I had to get him back so the second he went over to the other side of the stage I found a small bucket to put water in. I filled it about half way because I knew that he had some sensitive equipment on and I didn't want him to get completely soaked. I giggled to myself and as he was doing his What Makes You Beautiful solo I ran out behind him and dumped the entire water bucket on him. He whipped around and I giggled as I ran off the stage before he could catch me. I knew I would probably get it so I rushed to my room and tried to pack up my stuff before he got off, but the second I heard the music stop I knew I didn't have any time left. 

Just as I was finishing up I was suddenly lifted off the ground and thrown over his shoulder. I let out a squeal and laughed, seeing him walking towards the bathroom.

"No! Harry, don't you dare! I have my phone in my pocket!" I squealed.

He just reached in and grabbed it out of my back pocket, tossing it onto the couch before smirking.

"Not anymore." He grinned, turning on the water before stepping under with me to keep me still.

Another squeal left my lips and I laughed, trying to get away from him but of course he held me under until we were both soaked.

"What was the point of that? Now you're even more wet." I giggled as I looked up at him.

"Because it's fun." He chuckled, holding my waist as he returned my gaze. 

I could see his gaze shift to my lips and I felt my heart race because I was thinking of the same exact thing. He lifted his hand to brush some hair from my face then started to lean in, but just as our lips brushed we heard the dressing room door open and the boys walked in along with Jenna and Jason. I turned my head so he kissed my cheek instead, letting out a small sigh because we were interrupted. As he shut off the water I wrung out my clothes and hair then stepped out of the bathroom.

"What happened to you?" Jenna giggled.

"Harry shoved me into the shower as payback." I laughed softly, looking over at him as he walked out. I could tell he was also thinking about the almost kiss, but we knew now wasn't the best time. "Well I have to change again then we can go back to the hotel."

They nodded and everyone left me alone except for Harry.

"So... Do you want to come back to mine and watch a movie or something?" He asked as he ran his hand through his wet hair.

"Sure." I smiled softly and stood up on my tip toes to kiss his cheek gently, letting my lips linger for a moment. "See you in a bit."

He smiled then left to go change as well. We soon arrived at my hotel and after getting Harry's hotel and room number I grabbed a couple things then walked down to his hotel which was just down the street. Thankfully he had told reception about me coming so they let me go up right away. I knocked on his door and was surprised to find him shirtless with a pair of sweatpants hanging low on his hips, momentarily distracting me but I quickly snapped out of it.

"I brought popcorn." I said as I held up the package that I had gotten from a vending machine.

"Great. I was just going to order some food. Do you want anything? My treat." He smiled.

"Well, since you're paying..." I joked with a soft laugh. "I'm not that hungry so maybe just some french fries if they have any. Thank you."

I smiled and sat on the bed, getting comfortable as he called our food in. He hung up once he was done then joined me on the bed.

"What movie do you want to watch?" He asked.

"I honestly don't care. I'll watch anything." I shrugged.

"Scary movie it is then. You can hold my hand if you get scared." He winked and I playfully rolled my eyes.

He rented the new Ouija movie and I had seen the first one so I was a bit nervous about watching this, but I suppose it was his plan to get me closer to him. However as it started he kept saying funny things and doing voice overs for the characters which made me crack up. I joined in and by the time the food arrived we both had tears in our eyes and when Harry let the room service guy in I held a pillow to my face to keep myself from laughing. Once I started laughing a lot I literally laughed over everything so all it took was a look from Harry to send me into a fit of giggles again.

"I'm so sorry." I said to the guy through my giggles.

He just chuckled and shook his head, saying it was no problem before he finally left.

"You have such a cute laugh." Harry smiled as he brought our food over.

I blushed and smiled.

"Thanks, but I would rather not sound like a dying walrus." I joked.

Both of us laughed a bit then finally calmed down enough to eat. The rest of the night we just talked and eventually I got so tired that I just fell asleep cuddled into him. I felt him kiss my forehead just as I was drifting off and hummed softly in approval of the affection, allowing sleep to take over.


	3. Chapter 3

Emily POV

I woke up the next morning laying on my back with Harry's arm wrapped around my waist and his face nuzzled into my neck as he rested his head on my shoulder. I couldn't help but smile as I thought about how cuddly he was when he was sleepy. It was so cute. I glanced over at the alarm clock, seeing that it was only eight in the morning which was far too early for my liking, but I knew that I wouldn't be able to go to sleep now so I didn't bother. Instead I carefully reached over to grab my phone, looking through messages as I let Harry continue to sleep on me since I knew he was exhausted and needed the extra sleep. After replying to a few texts from my dad and brother I decided to take a picture of Harry and me. He looked so cute sleeping and I couldn't bring myself to resist. I smile at the pictures after I finished, most of them were of just him looking adorable.

"You know it's rude to take pictures of someone while they're sleeping and can't give consent." He mumbled, causing me to jump slightly at the feeling of his hot breath on my neck.

"Sorry, but you just looked so cute and I couldn't resist. Plus this is my blackmail for you when you decide to tickle me again." I giggled and smiled over at him.

He looked at me with a sleepy smile plastered on his face, shaking his head gently.

"You're really something you know that?" He chuckled softly.

"I know." I gave him a cheesy smile then wiggled my eyebrows which made him laugh a bit. He kissed my cheek then rolled onto his back, rubbing the sleep from his eyes before sitting up and looking over at me.

"Do you want to do something today?" He asked.

"I don't know if that would be a good idea. What if the media catches us hanging out together? They'll think we're dating or something." I said as I looked over at him while he got some clothes out of his bag.

"Would it be a bad thing if we dated?" He asked, raising a brow as he looked over at me.

"N-No. Of course not. I mean... I wouldn't mind if we dated..." I rambled on for a moment trying to explain myself until he chuckled and put his hand on my mouth to stop me from talking any more.

"Then go on a date with me tonight." He smiled, putting his hand away as he obviously caught me off guard.

"Wait, what?" I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Go out with me tonight. I'll make sure it's private. Don't worry. What do you say?" He asked with a nervous look on his face.

I thought about it for mere seconds before I nodded.

"Okay." I finally agreed, seeing him smile widely before kissing my cheek.

"Great. Meet me at the elevator at six. Oh, and wear something nice." He winked.

I blushed a little and nodded, feeling pretty excited about the date.

Harry's POV

We hung out for a little while until it was time for the two of us to get ready and she headed back to her hotel to get ready. I made some calls to get ready for the date, deciding that nothing would be more private than the roof of the building so I had the manager of the hotel put together a place to eat up there with some lights, as well as having food brought up to us. Since I was a VIP guest they didn't seem to mind too much and I promised to pay a little extra for their efforts. Once that was done I got ready, deciding on my usual black jeans but instead of my usual patterned shirt I wore a black button up with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows. I made sure my hair looked okay then went upstairs to check on the set up, finding it to be just how I imagined it. I smiled and set up my little bluetooth speaker with some music playing from a playlist I made on my phone then went back down to meet with Emily at the elevator. She was standing by the elevator doors in a white dress with her hair up in an elegant bun along with a small braid on the side of her head.

"You look beautiful." I said softly, smiling as she blushed from the compliment. 

"Are you going to tell me where we're going now?" She asked as we got into the elevator, obviously a bit confused when I pushed the button for the top level instead of the ground level.

"Nope." I grinned and gave her a playful wink, staying quiet as we went up to the top level.

I lead her to the stairs that led to the roof and once we were finally there she gasped softly.

"You did all this?" She asked in disbelief.

"Yep. The rooftops always have the best views and no one will bother us up here so it's the perfect spot for a dinner date." I said, feeling a bit nervous that she wouldn't like it. "Is that okay?"

"Oka- Harry, this is amazing. It really is." She smiled and kissed my cheek.

I smiled then walked over to the table, pulling out her chair for her. I had already ordered our food based on what she had mentioned liking last night so it arrived right away and we started to eat. 

"I can't believe you did all this for me. I've never had anyone do anything like this before." She said after a few minutes of silence.

"Well I think you deserve to be treated to a romantic surprise every once in a while. All girls do. But you especially." I chuckled and gave her a smile.

She returned it and blushed a bit, obviously enjoying herself. We chatted about random things and got to know each other even better. I learned that she had an ex boyfriend who was a dick to her so she closed herself off for a while, but now she was starting to open up again and I was glad because otherwise I wouldn't have had this chance with her. She also told me more about her mother and it broke my heart to know that such bad things happened to such great people like her. Emily didn't deserve any of this and I mentally made a promise not to let anything else happen to her. It was hard enough that she had a horrible woman as a mother who hated her.

"So... Do you think you would want to go out again after this? I mean, did I do a good job?" I asked as we shared a chocolate cake slice for dessert.

"I would love to go out with you again, Harry, but next time let's just do something fun like mini golf or bowling. Or paint ball. I love paint ball." She said, making me chuckle as I thought about her with a paintball gun as she ran around shooting everyone. She seemed fearless when it came to things like that and I loved it. "Great. I'll start planning right away then." I grinned.

Once we finished our dessert I stood up and held my hand out to her as Kiss Me by Ed Sheeran started to play over the speaker.

"May I have this dance" I asked her in an overly posh voice.

She giggled and took my hand, standing up as we walked over to an open space and started dancing together. One of her hands held mine while the other wrapped around my arm to rest on my shoulder with her fingers facing herself. My free hand was wrapped around her waist as I held her close, smiling softly as she laid her head on my shoulder when I started to sing in her ear. Everything about tonight was just perfect and I couldn't wait to go on more dates with her. As we danced I spun her a bit and dipped her which made giggles erupt from her that caused a wide smile to appear on my face. Just as the song was ending I paused to look down at her, my gaze shifting to her lips. She seemed to have the same idea because she leaned in so our lips touched, sending me into a state of pure bliss.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song is First Heartbreak by Tori Kelly

Emily's POV

Three months. That's how long it's been since Harry and I started dating and I have to say that I haven't been happier. The tour is going great and our band has been getting a lot more attention now that more people have seen us perform. There were already talks about us getting our own solo tour next year which I was excited about. It would definitely suck being away from Harry now that we were so close, but I knew we would work it out somehow.

"Hey, beautiful." I heard a familiar voice say as a pair of arms wrapped around my waist from behind.

"Hey, handsome." I smiled softly, looking back at Harry as I kissed his lips gently.

Even though we've shared three months worth of kisses I still felt butterflies in my stomach each time his lips touched mine.

"What are my chances of getting you alone today?" He murmured as his lips trailed down my neck.

"I'd say about fifty-fifty, give or take." I joked with a soft giggle as I tilted my head a little more for him. 

Since we had been so busy lately we hadn't really gotten any proper alone time, if you know what I mean, since we were usually pretty tired after shows and just went to sleep right away. I didn't want to rush our relationship either since we still didn't know what we were going to do once tour was over. For now I just wanted to let things happen naturally instead of trying to rush into things like we were on a deadline.

"Please tell me you don't have any interview scheduled." He groaned softly, stopping his attack on my neck.

"Only one. It shouldn't take more than an hour or so. I promise. Then after that I'm all yours, okay?" I turned to face him and pecked his lips then continued to get ready for the radio interview. 

I decided to wear skinny jeans, a white tank top, and one of his flannels over it since the weather was nice and radio interviews were always pretty casual. I put a beanie on my head then pulled on my black combat boots before looking over at him.

"You know you can always come with me. The fans have already suspected we're dating anyway. Might as well subtly confirm it." I laughed softly.

"I know, but I still don't know what my label would do if we did something like that." He sighed.

"I think you should just go with it. I mean it's good for both bands and they should be happy with it." I said.

He looked at me for a moment then nodded. 

"You know what? Fuck it. Let's go."

He changed his clothes then followed me out to the car that was taking us to the radio station. Unfortunately Jenna was sick today and Jason wanted to stay and take care of her so it was just me doing the interview. I was thankful that Harry decided to come since I was always so nervous doing interviews on my own. 

We arrived a few minutes later and he stepped out first, helping me out of the car before walking in with his hand holding mine. A few fans were there so of course they freaked out when they saw us together. I smiled and waved, promising to come back to talk with them when I was done. It was so weird having so many fans now, but it was definitely great as well. I always tried my best to stop whenever I could to take pictures or talk to them.

A short elevator ride later we arrived at the fifth floor where we were supposed to meet Scott who was doing the interview. He met us at the entrance to the radio booth and I smiled, shaking his hand while Harry did the same.

"Wow, I didn't know I was interviewing you both today." He joked. 

"He's just here because he's bored." I laughed softly and smiled at Harry who just chuckled in response and shook his head. 

We all went into the room and Harry stood against the wall, watching the interview as it started.

"So, Emily. May I ask where the rest of the band is at this time?" Scott chuckled.

"Well, Scott, Jenna has unfortunately come down with the flu and Jason, being the good boyfriend that he is, stayed to take care of her. And Dylan, my bassist, well he just complained about them getting the day off so I just said he could stay and sleep." I laughed.

"Sounds like a great group of friends." Scott joked.

"Oh, you have no idea. I love them though. They're my best friends." I smiled.

"I can tell. Now I'm not sure if I'm allowed to ask this or not but everyone is dying to know.... Are you dating anyone?" He asked.

"I am." I smiled, glancing at Harry who nodded to let me know it was okay to tell him.

"Is that someone in this room with us right now?" He pressed.

"Possibly." I giggled and smiled. "Yes, he is... I suppose the cat is out of the bag now. Scott, we can finally tell them we're dating. Phew. I'm glad I can get that off my chest." I said, making him laugh.

"Oh thank god, right? I hated hiding our relationship." He joked with a chuckle. "But seriously though... You and Harry? How did it happen?"

"We actually met at a club the night before we were supposed to go on tour and at the time I had no idea I was going to be opening for One Direction. It was sort of a surprise to me. We kind of just talked and he took me ice skating then it went on from there once we actually got on tour together." I smiled softly at Harry who smiled back.

"Does anyone else know about this?" He asked.

"Other than our bands, other crew members, and our families? Nope. You're the first. Congratulations." I smiled, then continued the rest of the interview just talking about the tour and the music which I was thankful for.

Eventually we left the building and of course people had swarmed it by now after hearing the news, especially the paps. I paused to take pictures with the girls who waited since this morning just like I promised I would, Harry standing close to me protectively as he held my hand. After that we got into the car and left, both of us getting calls from our managers and of course mine was furious that I didn't run it by him first.

"Calm down, Ryan. It's fine. It's good publicity right?" I said to him, hearing him groan on the other end of the line. 

"You're impossible to work with." He mumbled.

"I know." I laughed. "Thanks, Ryan. Bye."

I hung up then looked at Harry who was watching with an amused smile.

"I wish I had the balls to stand up to my managers like that." He chuckled.

"They can threaten you all they want, but in the end they need you. Especially a band as big as yours. If you wanted to you could get away with pretty much anything, but honestly you don't get into any illegal trouble or anything like that so they can just deal with us being together. I shrugged.

Harry's POV

Once we were safely in the hotel we just hung out in my room watching tv and eating vending machine snacks.

"So um... I want to show you something. It's a new song I've been working on." She said after looking at me for a good few minutes until she finally gathered the courage to speak.

I nodded and watched her grab my guitar from the case then sat up as she settled cross legged on the bed, facing me as she started to play. I smiled, loving to hear her beautiful voice and it made me pay attention to the words. 

"Cause for the first time I get worried, as I'm looking in your eyes..." 

It didn't take me long to figure out the song was about us and how she was scared to make mistakes because she realized she loved me and didn't want to lose me. My heart skipped a beat and a soft smile formed on my lips.

"If you ever left me... that would be my first heartbreak." She sang softly, finishing the song.

There was a silence for a moment then I grabbed the guitar, setting it on the floor before I pulled her onto my lap.

"I love you, too." I murmured, gently tucking some hair behind her hear before pulling her lips to mine.

I could feel her smile against my lips as she returned the kiss which quickly turned more passionate. The next thing I knew we were both tangled up in each other's arms, our bodies bare as we slowly caught our breaths.

"Do you think it's too soon?" She asked after a moment. "To love you, I mean."

I rubbed her back gently and shook my head.

"No... I fell in love with you the moment I met you." I admitted. "I knew when I first saw you that I had to talk to you and I did. I'm just glad you agreed to leave the club with me."

"Me, too." She smiled and I couldn't help but kiss her again, shifting to hover over her once more as I pulled the sheets over our heads. She giggled as we were covered in darkness but her lips quickly found mine again, pulling me closer as we spent the rest of the night making love.


	5. Chapter 5

Emily's POV

"Five months into the tour and you're still getting lost in the venues." Harry teased into the phone. 

"Just shut up and come get me." I pouted as I looked around, trying to figure out where I was.

One would think that after being in multiple venues the past five months that looked very similar I would figure out how to navigate them, but I guess not. I spent the next couple minutes trying to find a room number or sign that I could use to tell him where I was, but since he had been here many times it didn't take him long to find me.

"What am I going to do with you?" He chuckled. "I should buy you one of those tracking watches for kids."

"Oh shut up." 

I laughed and hit his arm playfully. He chuckled and pecked my lips then took my hand, leading me out of the building. We had just finished sound check, but the show wasn't until tomorrow since the venue was doing some last minute repairs to the bathroom or something like that so we had time to relax.

"Soooo guess who got us tickets for Finding Dory tonight?" Harry said as we got into the car.

"Are you serious?!" I said excitedly before jumping on him and giving him a hug. I knew I was childish at times, but Finding Nemo was my all time favorite animated movie and I had been waiting to see Finding Dory since it was first announced. He laughed and gave me a kiss then set me in the car, telling the driver to drop us off there. 

Harry's POV

We hadn't even gotten through half the movie yet when Emily started sniffling. I had to admit that it was kind of sad in some parts, but I kept myself from crying by teasing her about it. She hit my arm and I chuckled, kissing her head gently as I pulled her closer.

"Sorry, love." I murmured, rubbing her side gently. 

The movie was actually amazing and I made a mental note to tell Ellen how great it was next time we went on her show. After that we got some food then went back to the hotel and hung out with the boys for a bit. The football game was on so Emily was a bit bored and messed with her phone, eventually standing up.

"Where are you going?" I asked her.

"The venue. I want to rehearse that new song I showed you before tomorrow." She answered.

"Well I could come with you." I said as I started to stand up, but she stopped me.

"No, it's fine. I'm meeting the band there. You stay here with the boys. They miss you." She smiled, giving me a kiss before leaving.

I pouted a little but stayed put, watching the game with the boys. After a while I got hungry so I decided to get something to snack on.

"I'm going to the vending machines to get some snacks and a drink. You boys want anything?" I asked once a commercial came on.

"Doritos!" Niall yelled.

The rest of the boys called out names of drinks and I made a mental note for each one before walking out in search of vending machines. After getting everyone's things I went back to the room with my arms full of snacks and cans of soda. I kicked the door a couple times to get someone's attention so they could open the door for me. A few minutes went by and I heard nothing so I sighed and set them down before grabbing the room key out of my pocket. I opened the door and picked up everything once more, bringing them inside.

"Did you guys hear me knocking?" I asked as I walked into the living room part of the hotel room.

None of them answered. Their eyes glued to the television screen as they watched a breaking news cast. My heart stopped when I read the words that were moving across the bottom of the screen.

'Singer Emily Brighten trapped inside burning US Bank Stadium.'

They went on to explain the situation but I only heard a few words of it before I bolted out the door, ignoring the boys as they tried to call for me to stop. I didn't even wait to get a car or anything I just ran out the door, heading straight for the venue which was a few blocks away. I could already see the faint glow of the fire and that only made me run faster. When it finally came into view I paused in shock to take in the massive fire before I started running again, intending on going inside to get Emily myself but a pair of arms grabbed onto me followed by another and I struggled to get away from them.

"Harry, stop it!" Liam said as he kept a tight grip on me.

"Let me go! She's in there! I have to find her!" I yelled, fighting them a bit longer until I finally dropped to my knees, staring at the raging fire with tears forming in my eyes.

"Emily..." I Whimpered, unable to hold back anymore as I allowed the tears to fall down my cheeks.


	6. Chapter 6

No One's POV

His vision began to blur as steady streams of tears fell from his eyes. Someone engulfed him in a hug, arms locked tightly around his shoulders. A moment later another set of arms joined in. He soon found himself in the middle of a group hug formed by the boys. He looked around at their worried and terrified faces. Their lips moved as they spoke to him, but he could barely make out what they were saying. His senses began to return as the once soft noises became loud, voices carried through the air. Someone was speaking to him now. It was Louis.

"It's going to be alright, mate. They'll get her out. She's going to be fine." He said.

Harry simply nodded before turning his attention back to the fire. His eyes focused on the entrance as if she was going to walk out of it at any moment. All he could do was wait...

Several minutes passed by and there was still no sign of Emily or the firemen who had gone in to try to find her. Paul had arrived shortly after the boys, immediately getting on the phone with management to try to get a hold of Emily's family. The crowd of people around the area quickly grew once news of Harry's arrival on the scene spread. Fans who were in the area stood behind separate barricades to show their support for the boys and to update the rest of the fandom on Twitter. News of the situation spread like wildfire and within minutes the whole fan base knew about it. Every one of them anxiously waiting for any bit of information on whether or not Emily had made it out safely. 

Harry's POV

I stood with the boys as we stared silently a the fire which was slowly engulfing the building. It took everything I had not to run in after her. Not that it would have been possible anyway with the police officers guarding the area. Liam made sure to keep his hand on my shoulder just in case I did decide to do it. A smart idea on his part. My eyes wandered down to my latest tattoo which was located on the pinky side of my left hand. It was simple, yet held more meaning to me than any other tattoo I had. It consisted of two letters, one on top of the other. 'L' and 'O'. It was only half of a puzzle piece. One that could only be complete when her right hand was held tightly in mine. People might think it's crazy to get a tattoo with your girlfriend of five months, but we didn't care. I still couldn't believe I convinced her to get it in the first place.

*Flashback*

"Let's get matching tattoos!" I said randomly.

"No way." Emily protested.

"Why not? Come on. It'll be fun." I said.

"Fun? How is getting stabbed over and over again with a needle fun?" She asked.

"It's not even that bad. I've gotten plenty of tattoos. I'll be right there with you. Pretty please?" 

"No, Harry."

Five minutes later we walked into the tattoo shop and I smiled over at her.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this." She mumbled.

I grinned and wrapped my arms around her as I pulled her close.

"Because you love me and people do crazy things... when they're in love."

A smile formed across her lips as she looked up at me.

"You've been watching Hercules haven't you." She asked.

"Maybe. I wanted to know what you and Liam were fussing about. Plus, I saw you singing 'I Won't Say I'm in Love' into your hair brush the other day and it was quite amusing." 

Her cheeks flushed red so she quickly looked away to hide it. God I loved it when she did that. It was so cute. She finally got over her embarrassment and a few minutes later we had an idea drawn up. It was a simple, yet meaningful tattoo which would line up when we held hands and spell 'LOVE'. I would have the 'L' and 'O' written on the pinky side of my left hand, while she would have the 'V' and 'E' on her write hand. Both letters were vertical, one on top of the other. Even if we didn't stay together our significant other could get the other half of the tattoo done as well, but we had no plans to break up so I didn't worry about that. 

I went first to show her that it wouldn't hurt as bad as she thought it would, but it did end up hurting a little worse than I expected. It was tolerable though and definitely worth it. Next it was Emily's turn and her face paled. She sat on my lap, taking a deep breath as he left hand held mine tightly.

"You don't have to do this you know." I said.

"I know, but I want to. Plus it would be goofy for you to have 'L' and 'O' written on your hand for no reason. I can do this. Just don't let go." She said.

"Never." I replied, smiling softly as I gave her a kiss.

She took a deep breath and set her right hand on the table.

"Okay. I'm ready."

*End Flashback*

No One's POV

Seconds passed with no signs of Emily or the firemen and everyone was beginning to give up hope until they saw the light of a flashlight shine through the smoke at the entrance. Two firemen exited the building... alone.

Harry watched in dismay as they said something to their chief which made his face drop. This caught Harry's attention and he decided to walk closer to hear what they were talking about.

"-is gone. The north end of the building is collapsing as well. The whole thing could come down in a matter of minutes." One of them said.

The chief took a moment to think about what they said before making his decision.

"How many more men are in there?" He asked them.

"Three."

"Alright, bring them out." He said.

Harry's hands balled into fists as anger washed over him. He jumped over the barricade and stormed over to them.

"You can't just give up! Emily is still in there!" He yelled.

"I'm sorry, kid, but there's nothing more we can do. The building could come down at any moment." The chief said.

"You can't just leave her in there! She'll die!" Harry argued.

"For all we know she could be dead already. It's not an easy decision to make, but I have to do what's best for my men." 

Harry stood there, unable to comprehend what was happening. They were going to abandon the search for her and let her die. She was alive. She had to be. And if they weren't going to find her... then he would.

Without a second thought, Harry sprinted into the building's entrance and disappeared into the black smoke that poured out of it. Moments later the roof of the entrance collapsed, leaving firemen with no way of following him. 

"Spectators stand in shock moments after Harry Styles entered the burning building that his girlfriend is trapped inside, leaving rescuers with yet another life to worry about. With precious moments passing by, one can only hope that both will come out safely..." An on scene reporter spoke in the background.

The remaining members of One Direction and Emily's band stood in complete shock as they stared at the building their friends were trapped inside. Time seemed to stand still as the world tried to comprehend what was happening. No one moved. Few dared to breathe. The entrance had collapsed in on itself leaving rescuers with no chance of getting them out since other exits were already blocked off. They would have to find another way out or inside the building. Ten minutes slipped by with no sign of either of them. The firemen shot water at the entrance to bring down the fire in order to clear out the debris. A loud cracking noise sounded and the crowd watched in horror as the entire building collapsed, trapping anyone who remained inside for good.


	7. Chapter 7

Harry's POV

The moment I entered the building my lungs began to burn from the lack of oxygen. All I breathed in was the black smoke that was moving throughout the building. I lifted the collar of my shirt up, covering my nose and mouth with the fabric, then pulled out my cell phone to use the flashlight on it. As I navigated my way through the building I noticed that the temperature began to rise. The longer I stayed the hotter it got. This only made me even more determined to find Emily because I knew that she had problems when it got too hot. She nearly fainted when we were at Disneyland in ninety degree weather so I couldn't imagine how she was handling this heat. I was sweating myself.

I ran through a few hallways, calling out her name every few seconds in hopes of hearing a response back. Minutes passed and I still hadn't found her. My hope was quickly fading, but at least I would die with her. I was about to give up when I heard someone cough, followed by a raspy cry for help.

"Emily?!" I yelled.

The person coughed again, the sound coming from behind the door to my left. I threw it open and scanned the room until my eyes finally landed upon her fragile body that was slumped against the wall.

"Emily!" I cried.

I ran over and lifted her face up so I could look at her. Her face was dirty and covered with soot from the smoke, her eyes watery in attempt to keep them wet. She had a deep cut above her left eye that was seeping blood down the side of her face. The sound of the room next door collapsing snapped me out of my thoughts. I lifted her weak body into my arms and quickly exited the room. The hallway that I had just come from was now covered with debris, leaving me to find another way out. 

I went as fast as I could down the halls, looking for anything familiar that would give me some sense of where we were. I turned left only to have the ceiling come down in front of us. I stepped back and quickly made my way down the other hallway, finding it to be the hallway where our dressing rooms were located. With my new sense of direction, I knew exactly where to go.

There was a window just big enough for us to get through in the dressing room. Without wasting another second I moved as fast as possible down the hallway until I found the right door. I set her on the couch then grabbed a chair and rushed over to the window, hitting it as hard as I could until it shattered. I clear the window of any left over glass then grab a few shirts from the hangars to put them over the glass so we wouldn't get cut. 

"Alright, Em. You're going to have to climb for me." I said to her, pulling her to her feet once more.

She coughed harshly and I bit my lip, helping her get out by pushing her legs to help her until she was finally out on the sidewalk. I quickly climbed up after her, crawling through the window as fast as I could. I sat up in and inhaled the cool night air, taking in the fresh oxygen. The building behind us started to crumble and I carried Emily away from it seconds before it collapsed. If we had been in here a second later we would be dead. 

Emily coughed violently, snapping me out of my thoughts. My eyes looked down to her pale soot covered face and saw that she was barely awake. She needed to go to the hospital immediately. I adjusted her in my arms before carrying her towards the crowed that was gathered across the street at the front of the building. 

No One's POV

Niall was the first to tear his watery eyes away from the scene. His heart felt heavy with grief at the thought of his two friends being gone. It was too much for him to bear. He looked out at the crowd of fans that had grown since Harry had run inside the building and saw their eyes filled with tears. No one said a word. Not even the reporters. Everyone was in shock, unable to comprehend what had just happened. He turned to the boys who were fighting back tears of their own. Liam pulled Louis and Zayn into a hug, then looked at Niall and motioned for him to join, but his attention was focused on something behind them. His eyes widened when he saw the familiar curls of their youngest band member carrying the girl he loved in his arms.

"It's Harry!" He cried, pointing to them.

Everyone turned towards the two figures and erupted with screams of joy. Harry dropped to his knees halfway to them, relieved that someone noticed them as paramedics rushed over to them. Harry looked down at his girlfriend and gently touched her cheek.

"We made it, Em. You're safe now." He said to her, coughing a little as the smoke irritated his lungs.

"Breaking news! Harry Styles and Emily Brighten have both somehow made it safely out of the building! Styles shocked everyone by running into the burning building just ten minutes before it collapsed, leading spectators and fans worldwide to believe that the popular couple had been trapped inside and died. However, just moments ago he crowd was relieved to find Styles carrying his girlfriend towards the on scene paramedics. Officials say that his heroic actions, though dangerous and reckless, quite possibly saved Emily's life. Both Brighten and Styles are being transported to the hospital as we speak." The reporters said into cameras nearby.

Harry sat beside Emily in the ambulance, her right hand in his left. The female paramedic that sat across from him glanced at their intertwined hands and saw that their tattoos fit together to form the word 'LOVE'. She couldn't help but smile at the young couple and thought about the extreme lengths he had gone through to save the girl he loved. He risked his life for her and the thought was amazing since they were still so young to be this in love. If true love actually existed, then she was sure the two of them were living proof. He smiled softly at her through his oxygen mask and brushed his thumb over her hand, never taking his eyes of her face.

A rapid beeping noise caused everyone inside the ambulance to panic. The heart monitor that Emily was hooked up to suddenly began to go haywire as she gasped for air that wasn't getting into her lungs from her smoke damaged throat. 

"What's going on?" Harry asked frantically as he took of his oxygen mask.

"She can't breathe. Kid, you're going to have to back off so we can help her!" The male paramedic said.

Harry's eyes filled with tears once again and Emily's vision blurred for a different reason as she felt faint. Her lungs screaming for air that she couldn't give. She looked at Harry who was looking at her with a terrified expression. His mouth moved as he spoke to her, but she couldn't make out what he was saying. She tried to focus on his lips and finally understood what he said before she fell unconscious.

"I love you."

Harry's POV

I watched them rush her into the emergency room as soon as we got to the hospital, while another nurse pulled me off in a different direction to check me over. I reluctantly went with her even though I wanted to be with EMily, knowing that I would only be in the way if I tried to be in there with her. My body was on autopilot once again as the nurse did her job. Once I was finally free to leave I made my way over to the waiting room where the boys were sitting with Paul.

"Have you heard anything yet?" I asked them.

They shook their heads sadly. I sighed and leaned against the wall, sliding down until I was seated on the floor. I ran my hands through my hair and took a deep breath in attempt to calm my rising emotions. My mind began to fill with 'what ifs' as we waited in silence. What if I somehow convinced her not to go out tonight? What if I had gone with her and gotten her out sooner?

What if I lose her? What if I never hear her laugh.. or see her smile again? The thought caused my eyes to tear up again. It still amazed me that I even had any tears left. I closed my eyes and focused on every memory I had of her. Waking up to her sleeping face every morning. Kissing her whenever I felt like it. Making her laugh, even though I wasn't actually being funny. 

She told me once that I was the one that kept her going, but it was quite the opposite. She was the one that kept me going. That helped me through the hardships that came with our job. The busy schedule, being away from home, having your personal life out in the open, the hate. I needed her more than she could possibly understand and if anything happened to her...

No.

I refused to lose her.

I won't.


	8. Chapter 8

Harry’s POV

Waiting sucks. Sitting in a room without any idea of what is happening behind the emergency room doors is the worst feeling in the world. Every time the doors opened I’d look up, hoping that someone would give me news about Emily, but each one of the doctors that walked out went to someone else. I sat in my chair, my right leg bouncing from anxiety. The boys were scattered around the room, giving up all effort to talk to me once they realized that I was too out of it to listen. My mind was focused on Emily and every memory from the past few months with her. Every moment that caused me to fall more and more in love with her.

*Flashback*

“Harry! Harry!” Emily cried as she ran up to me.

“What? What?” I asked, saying the word twice like she did. She took one look at me and burst out laughing, leaving me completely confused.

“Why are you laughing? All I said was ‘what’”

“But the way you said it. It reminded me of a funny part of a movie”

“Alright then. So what did you want?”

“Huh? Oh...I forgot”

Now it was my turn to laugh. She pouted, something that I absolutely loved, and turned away from me with her arms crossed. I smiled and wrapped my arms around her waist, resting my chin on her shoulder.

“Sorry, love”

“I can’t help that I’m forgetful you know. I get distracted easily, and most of the time its your fault”

“You remind me of Dory from Finding Nemo sometimes. Now, I don’t mean that in a bad way either” I chuckle.

“I LOVE DORY! I can speak whale you know” she said matter of factly.

I chuckled.

“Oh, I know you can. So can I”

We both started speaking whale like they do in the movie and it resulted in the two of us landing in a heap of laughter on the floor. A few minutes later the boys ran in to see what was going on.

“What’s going on in here?” Louis asked.

Emily and I looked at each other before answering him in whale. They looked at us like we were insane, but we didn’t care. We got the joke.

~.:o:.~

“And I was like baby baby baby oh!

Like baby baby baby no!

Like baby baby baby oh!

I thought you’d always be mine, mine”

I walked out onto the stage to find Niall playing guitar while Emily danced around crazily while singing song. His laughter filled the air, which caused me to laugh. Emily grinned and danced over to me before pulling me in to dance with her. We laughed, dancing like idiots as we sang at the top of our lungs. Louis came in sometime during the middle of the song and recorded it to put on Twitter. It didn’t take long for him to join in as well. Soon everyone was dancing crazily and having a good time. Emily brought the child out of all of us.

*End Flashbacks*

“Harry. You’re mum is on the phone” Louis said, holding out my phone to me.

I stared at it for a moment, wondering how I didn’t hear it ring when it was sitting right next to me. I shook the thought from my head and took it from him, then walked outside to talk to her.

“Hey, mum”

“Harry! Oh, thank goodness! I’ve been so worried about you! I heard what happened on the news. Are you alright?”

“Yes, Mum. I’m fine. I got burned a bit, that’s all” I said.

“Have you heard anything about Emily?” I had to pause and take a deep breath before answering.

Just hearing her name nearly made me cry again.

“I don’t know. We haven’t heard anything...” I said quietly.

“I’m sure she’ll be alright. She’s a strong girl. How are you?”

“I’m worried about her, mum. I don’t want to lose her” My voice cracked as I spoke, tears forming in my eyes.

“Oh, honey. Everything will be alright. Just you wait.”

“Thanks, Mum”

I talked to her for a few more minutes before we hung up. I stayed outside. The cool air felt good on my warm skin and woke me up. I was about to go inside when I heard someone call my name. I turned around to see a man who looked to be in his mid twenties walk up to me. He had brown hair and blue eyes similar to Emily’s. Something about him was familiar, but I just couldn’t remember.

“You’re Harry Styles right?” he asked.

“Yeah...”

“I’m Matt. Emily’s brother” he said.

Realization hit me as soon as he said his name. I remembered asking Emily about a picture of her dad, herself, and her brother a few weeks ago. That’s where I remembered him from. Now that I looked at him, he did look a lot like her.

“Hello. Nice to meet you. She talks about you a lot” I said.

“Not as much as she talks about you, I’m sure” I smiled half heartedly and his face grew serious.

“How is she?” he asked.

“We don’t know. They haven’t told us anything” He nodded and we stood there in silence for a moment.

“Thank you. For taking care of her” he said. “I’m glad she finally found someone who treats her right”

“I’m only giving her what she deserves” I replied.

He smiled. “That’s a good answer. You won’t have any problems with my dad when he gets here” 

“He’s coming? I thought Emily said he was working on some big case.” I said.

“They’re letting him come for a few days since it’s a family emergency” Matt said.

“Good. Emily really misses him” Matt nodded.

“Yeah. It’s always been tough for her when he buries himself in police work.... Let’s go inside. I’ll see if I can find anything out”

I nodded and followed him inside to where everyone else was waiting. He went to talk to a nurse while I sat down next to Louis.

“Who is that?” he asked.

“Emily’s brother, Matt”

“Oh...How are you doing?” he asked.

“I’m alright...” I shrug slightly.

“Hey, Harry. Niall and I are going to get some coffee. You want anything?” Liam asked.

“No thanks” I replied.

He nodded before the two of them left. A few minutes later Matt came back and informed us that she was out of surgery and that the doctor was coming in to talk to us. We all waited anxiously until he finally came out ten minutes later.

“The surgery went well and she’ll make a full recovery” he said.

We all sighed in relief. I felt like a ton of weight had been lifted off of my shoulders, but then I saw the look on his face and became worried again.

“There’s something else isn’t there” I said.

He sighed softly. “Yes...We had to clear away a lot of infected tissue from her throat and lungs due to the smoke. I’m afraid there’s a chance that she’ll never speak again”


	9. Chapter 9

Still Harry’s POV

“-she’ll never speak again” 

His words kept ringing through my head over and over again. This couldn’t be happening. Not to Emily. She’s the most loving, sweet, kind person in the world and doesn’t deserve this. She hasn’t even been singing for a year, and now it’ll be destroyed. Her dream of singing will be shattered. Just like her heart. How were we supposed to tell her?

“What?! Isn’t there anything you can do? Singing is her whole life!” Niall cried.

“I’m sorry, but the damage has been done. We’ll just have to wait and hope for the best.” The doctor replied.

“Can I see her?” Matt asked. 

“Are you family?” The doctor asked.

“Yes. I’m her brother, and he is coming with.” Matt pointed at me and the doctor nodded. 

“Follow me” He said to us before starting to walk. 

Matt started after him and turned to me. 

“You coming?” he asked. 

I nodded and quickly ran after them. We followed the doctor to her room where he left us alone. Matt walked in first, going straight to her side, while I stayed in the doorway. She looked so peaceful lying there. So beautiful despite the flecks of soot and dirt that remained on her face. As I walked closer I noticed she had a scar from the cut above her eye and a couple burn marks on her arms, painful reminders of how close to death she was. 

“How do you think she’ll take it?” I asked Matt, my eyes never leaving Emily as I took her hand in mine.

“Not good...but the doctor said that she still had a chance. Even if it’s small, just a little bit is enough to keep hope alive” he replied. 

I nodded and sat down in the chair next to her bed, determined to stay in that very spot until she woke up again. I didn’t care that we had an interview the next morning or a concert later that night. There was no way that I was leaving until I saw her blue eyes again. 

Louis’ POV  
“Harry, you need to eat something” I said for the fifth time. 

“I’m not hungry” he mumbled. 

I let out a frustrated sigh. He wouldn’t listen to anyone. He would just sit there in the chair, staring off into space. He wouldn’t sleep. He wouldn’t eat. The only thing he actually got up for was to go to the bathroom. We had Paul cancel the concert and interview, but we wouldn’t be able to hold it off forever. 

“Dammit, Harry! It’s been fifteen hours! You can’t just sit there! You have to eat. Go back to the hotel for a bit. Change your clothes and take a shower” I said finally. 

“I’m not leaving! What if she wakes up and I’m not here! She’s scared of hospitals, Lou! I need to be here” he argued. 

“She has her brother here if she does! Look at you, Harry. You’re a mess! Do you really want her to see you like this? That would make her even more stressed out and you know it. Come on. I’ll drive you back to the hotel. We’ll get you something to eat and if anything happens Liam or Niall or Zayn will call us. Just for a bit” 

Harry reluctantly gave in. I watched as he gave Emily a kiss on the forehead before walking out. We walked past the boys who were sitting by a window and they sighed in relief at the sight of Harry. 

“We’re going back to the hotel so Harry can freshen up. Call us if anything happens” I said. 

“We will” Liam said. 

“I’m going with you. There are fans and paps outside. You’ll need security” Paul said standing up. 

“Alright. Come on, Harry” I said to my younger friend.

He followed us like a zombie, not speaking a single word and it worried me. Harry was never this quiet unless something really upset him. It killed me that he wouldn’t talk to any of us about it. He’s always been secretive and kept to himself when it came to how he was feeling, which is why I was surprised to see how easily Emily could get it out of him. She was the only one who could besides his mum, which was saying something. We made it to the front doors and were bombarded with flashes and questions. Paul kept us close as he and a few other bodyguards pushed their way through the crowd and to the car. Once we made it to the car Paul drove us to our hotel. After going through another smaller crowd we got up to the hotel room. I waited in the living area while Harry went into the bathroom to shower and change clothes. 

Meanwhile, Paul drove to a nearby fast food place to get him some food even though both of us knew that he probably wouldn’t eat it. I sighed and sat down on the couch. The past few days have been hard on all of us. Not one of us had gotten more than a few hours of sleep since the fire. Not even Zayn, the laziest out of all of us. I felt for Harry. I really did. If it had been Eleanor in the fire I would have done the exact same thing and would be acting the same way he is. Right after we found out that Emily was okay I called her and told her how much I loved her. The problem was that management wasn’t too happy about his actions. They made it clear that after all of this was over we would be having a long discussion with them. One that none of us were looking forward to. The whole situation was crazy, and it added stress to us since we were right in the middle of our first tour. At least we knew that Emily would be alright.

I heard the shower turned off and a few minutes later Paul arrived with the food. Harry walked out with new clothes and damp hair, his face blank. 

“Can we go?” he asked. 

“Can you eat something on the way?” I asked. 

Harry nodded and grabbed the food from Paul, surprising us both. That long shower must have helped him.

We made our way back to the hospital and were pulling up when my cell phone started ringing, blaring Liam’s ringtone. 

“Hey, Liam” I answered. 

“Louis! You need to get Harry back here! Emily is freaking out and won’t calm down!” The back door opened and Harry sprinted through the crowd and into the building. 

Paul and I looked at each other before racing after him.

Emily’s POV

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The annoying sound became louder and louder as I came to. I became aware of the burning pain in throat as I breathed. I slowly opened my eyes, wincing as they became used to the brightness of white sunlit room. Once they adjusted I looked around to see a bunch of flowers and Get-Well-Soon balloons set around the room. Suddenly, every memory that I had about the fire came rushing back to me. Waking up in a smoke filled room, already struggling to breathe from inhaling so much smoke and being too weak and disoriented to move. Harry finding me and carrying me as we tried to find out way out of the building. 

Harry... 

My heart started racing, causing the monitor to go haywire. Where was he? Was he okay? I didn’t remember what happened after he found me. Did he make it out? I tried to call out for him, but when I tried to speak nothing would come out. This only scared me more. It became hard to breath. It felt like someone was pushing down on my chest. Why couldn’t I speak? It was like being in a nightmare where you want to scream, but you can’t. Niall was the first one to run in. He tried to calm me down, but I just couldn’t. I wanted to scream at him. I wanted to see Harry and know that he was alright. I just wanted Harry. Tears started forming in my eyes when Liam entered. 

“Emily! You need to calm down! It’s alright” he said. 

‘Harry’ I mouthed to him. ‘Where’s Harry’ 

“I’m sorry, Emily. I don’t know what you’re saying” 

“Em!” A familiar voice called. 

I looked at the doorway to see my brother, Matt, run in with a nurse. I lifted my hand and moved it rapidly, using sign language to tell him what I wanted. It took him a moment, but he finally got it. 

“Harry! She wants to see Harry” he said. I nodded my head rapidly. 

I nodded my head rapidly. Liam pulled out his phone and called someone while the others tried to calm me down. A few minutes later I heard footsteps running down the hall and a familiar voice call my name. Harry appeared in the doorway, and I reached out for him. He rushed to my side, taking my hand tightly in his. 

“Shhh. It’s ok, love. I’m here” He kept speaking to me as I slowly began to calm down. 

His hand reached up to touch my cheek and I leaned into his hand. He wiped away my tears with his thumb, then gave me a kiss on my forehead. His lips moved down the side of my face, leaving soft kisses until they landed on my lips. He pulled back a moment later and looked at me with tear filled eyes. 

“I love you” he said. I tried to say it back to him, but I couldn’t. 

No matter how hard I tried, nothing would come out. I looked at him for an explanation, but he avoided my gaze so I turned to Matt and signed to him. 

‘What’s going on?’ 

“You had a lot of smoke damage in your airway. They had to remove some of the infected tissue...They don’t think you’ll be able to talk again. I’m sorry, Emily” he said. 

So that’s it...Just as my career is starting...It’s over. I would never be able to talk again...Or laugh...Or sing. 

“It’s not so bad, Emily. At least you still got your wicked guitar skills. I think that’s pretty damn awesome” Niall said. 

I smiled at him and opened my arms to him. He leaned in and gave me a bear hug, then kissed my cheek. 

“We’ll help you through it. Knowing you, it’ll only be a temporary thing” Liam said.

I looked around at all of the boys as they smiled back at me. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Btw Matt is played by Chris Evans and her dad is Bruce Willis.

Matt’s POV

I watched from the doorway as Emily tried to teach Harry sign language. We got her a dry-erase board so she could write things down for those who didn’t know how and she was using that to show him the letters she was making with her hand. He would try to make a sign, but couldn’t get his fingers positioned correctly so she’d smile and fix it for him. It surprised me that he was catching on so quickly. Emily and I had to learn it in order to speak to our deaf grandfather, and it took us nearly a month to get the alphabet down. Harry already knew how to sign his name and small phrases. 

Harry is completely in love with her. I can tell just by the way he looks at her. He has such love in his eyes when they’re together, and Emily always seems so happy when he’s with her. It surprised me that Harry actually stuck around to help her through it. Most guys would run at a stressful situation like this, but he didn’t. He put his whole career on hold to stay by her side. I was glad that she finally found someone like him.

"Matthew” A familiar voice called.

I turned towards the voice and smiled when I saw who it was. He looked just the same as I remembered him. Same bald head and stubble on his face. He grinned at me. 

“You’re hair is getting a little long.” he commented. 

“Yeah, and yours is still gone. Nice to see you, too, Dad” I said with a laugh. 

I gave him a quick hug, then pulled back to find his face serious. 

“Who’s the kid?” he asked, pointing to Harry. 

“Her boyfriend” I answered. 

“Oh, so that’s Harry. What do you think? Is he right for my little girl?” he asked. 

“Yeah. He really loves her. He’s only left once since she got here two days ago” He nodded and turned back to the window to watch them for a few minutes before deciding to interrupt them. 

“Look at you. You’re even more beautiful than the day you left.” he said. 

Emily looked over at him and her face lit up. If it weren’t for her IV she would have leapt off the bed and into his arms. Instead, he walked over to her and gave her a hug. She wrapped her arms around him, tears falling from her eyes. He pulled back to kiss her forehead and wipe her cheeks, then turned to Harry who was smiling at them.

“So, you’re the one who saved my daughter?” he asked. 

Harry stood up straighter, and nodded. My father looked at him for a moment before pulling him into a hug. Harry’s eyes widened and he awkwardly hugged him back. Emily had a goofy grin on her face and looked like she was trying to hold back a laugh. 

“Thank you for saving her” My dad told Harry once they pulled back. 

“You don’t have to thank me. She’s the one who saved me” Harry looked at Emily and the two of them smiled at each other. 

“I’ll let you two catch up. I’ve got an meeting before concert.” Harry gave Emily a kiss on the cheek, telling her that he would be back in a few hours, then walked out the door. 

“How did it go?” I asked him. 

“Well...pretty good. I just didn’t expect him to hug me” Harry said with a chuckle. 

“Yeah. He may look all big and scary, but he’s really just a big teddy bear. Don’t worry, he likes you.” I smiled at him. 

“Good. I wouldn’t want to have him coming after me.” Harry admitted.

I laughed and gave him a pat on the shoulder. 

“No you wouldn’t. You heading out?” 

“Yeah. I have a meeting in a few minutes that I have to get to, then the concert. I’ll be back afterwards though” 

“Alright. See you later” I waved to him, then walked into the room to talk with Emily and our father. 

Harry’s POV

“Look who’s back from the dead!” Zayn cried as I got in the car. 

“Shut up” I said shoving him playfully. 

“Good to see you out of that hospital. Hows Emily doing?” Liam asked. 

“She’s doing great. Her dad is there now so I decided to give them some time alone." I answered. 

“Her dad was there? I bet you were crapping your pants!” Louis said. 

“No. I was just weirded out. He’s like this mean looking buff guy, and he comes in and hugs me” 

“He hugged you? Weird...” Niall said. 

“Yeah, well. I’m glad he likes me. Anyway, let’s get this over with." I sigh.

*At the meeting*

“What?” I stared at them, wondering if I heard them correctly. Did they really just say that? 

“She is causing you to be reckless. You’re late for meetings and concerts. Hell, you even risk your life AND career for this girl” One of the managers said. 

“AND I WOULD DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN IF I HAD TO!” I yelled. 

“She’s a liability, whose career is going down the drain. There’s no use keeping her around anymore now that she can’t sing” That did it. I stood up and slammed my fists on the table. 

“Don’t you dare talk about her like that! I didn’t keep her around just for the added publicity. I love her more than life itself and I would do anything for her! I’m not going to give up on her just because you think it’ll make me look bad. This is my personal life and you have no right to tell me who I can and cannot date! I’m not breaking up with Emily! And if you even think about messing with her career or anything else there will be hell to pay!” I stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut on my way out. 

Emily’s POV

It was great seeing my dad again. I missed him so much, and I was glad that he got to come back and see me, even if it’s just for a few days. After Harry left we just sat around and caught up on everything that was happening. It was weird not being able to talk to him though. Sometimes I would forget and try to speak. It was so frustrating not being able to tell people what I felt. The only people who understood me were Matt and my dad, who both knew sign language because of Grandpa Joe. I’ve been teaching Harry how to do it though. It surprised me how fast he caught on, and I’ll admit that I was a little jealous of it. It took me FOREVER to get it down and he’s taking it on like it’s nothing. 

“Emily, Harry is back. I just saw him walk in” Matt said from the window. 

‘That’s odd. He’s got the sound check in an hour. He should be at the new venue getting ready’ I thought. 

A few minutes later Harry appeared in the doorway. He looked angry and stressed out. 

‘What’s wrong?’ I wrote to him. 

“Could I speak to Emily alone please?” he asked my dad and brother. 

They looked at me and I nodded to them. They both left, shutting the door behind them. Harry walked over to me and silently crawled into the small bed with me. I scooted over to give him more room. He wrapped his arms around my waist, laying his head on my shoulder as a deep sigh escaped his lips. I wrapped my arms back around him and played with his hair, letting him calm down. After a while he lifted his head up to look at me. 

“I love you” he said softly. “I’ll always love you, no matter what happens” 

I stared at him. The look on his face terrified me. It was almost like this was the last time I was going to see him. I grabbed my dry-erase board from the table again and quickly wrote something down, then showed it to him. 

‘You’re scaring me. What’s going on?’ 

“Nothing. Don’t worry about it” I rolled my eyes and wrote something else. 

‘It’s a little late for that’ He smiled and kissed my temple. 

“I’ll tell you about it later ok? Right now I just want to cuddle” I smiled as he gave me his puppy dog eyes. I decided to let it go for the time being and snuggled up next to Harry on the bed. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, relaxing into the mattress. It’s the little moments like these that I cherish the most...Because you’ll never know what would happen next.


	11. Chapter 11

Emily’s POV

It’s been three days since I was released from the hospital. We were currently in Los Angeles, California and it’s my last day on the tour with the boys. I decided to go home with my brother and father for a while to get away from all of the stresses that come with being in the spotlight. It’s going to be hard being away from the boys for four months, but they had a career and I unfortunately didn't anymore. I walked to the stage area where I knew the boys were waiting to go on, deciding to surprise them by showing up to the concert when they thought I was at the hotel packing for my flight the next afternoon. Liam was the first one to notice me as I walked up. I put my index finger to my lips telling him to be quiet and he nodded, acting like he didn’t see anything. Harry had his back to me and was staring off into space. A grin appeared on my lips as I snuck up behind him. The boys, having all seen me at this point, held back their smiles so they wouldn’t give me away. I counted to three then jumped on Harry’s back, making him yelp in surprise. 

“What the- Emily!” he said with a smile. “You came!” 

I slid off his back, allowing him to turn around and wrap his arms around me. He pressed his soft lips to mine before giving me a hug. 

“I’m glad you’re here” he whispered into my hair. 

“Boys. Two minutes” Paul said as he walked over. “Oh, hi Emily. Didn’t expect you to be here” 

I smiled and wrote ‘Surprise!’ on my board before showing it to them. They laughed and each of the boys gave me a hug and kiss on the cheek before getting ready to run on stage. Harry looked back at me with a smile on his face. I erased my board then quickly wrote something dead before showing it to him. 

‘Break a leg’ He laughed and shook his head.

“That’s the last thing I need” I rolled my eyes, the smile on my face growing wider. 

The music started and Harry turned, running after the boys onto the stage.

~.:o:.~ 

“How is everyone doing tonight?!” Louis said into the microphone. 

The crowd screamed in response causing the boys to smile. 

“This next song has become very special to us in the past week. It reminds us of how close we came to losing one of our dear friends, and how lucky we are to have her with us. Tonight, we dedicate this song to Emily. This is You and I” Liam said. 

I smiled from my place next to Paul. We were standing to the left of the stage in front of the barriers. As the music started playing I felt tears in my eyes. Damn them. They knew this song makes me emotional enough as it is. It got worse when I saw Harry staring back at me with so much love in his eyes. Liam’s voice echoed through the arena as he sang. “I figured it out  
I figured it out from black and white  
Seconds and hours  
Maybe they have to take some time.." Harry didn’t look away from he as he sang his part, eyes becoming watery. 

He poured his heart into every word and it made me cry even more. By the time the song ended both Harry and I had tears streaming down our cheeks. He lifted that hand that wasn’t holding his microphone and signed to me. ‘I love you’

Harry’s POV

I kept my eyes on her the whole time we sang the song, and seeing her crying made me emotional as well. The song reminded me of everything that I felt for her. No matter what happened we always made it through it together, and like the song said, nothing could come between us. I won't allow anything to break us apart. Ever since I stormed out of the meeting with management I have been more determined than ever to hold onto her. There was no way that I was giving up without a fight and now they knew it. The boys thankfully backed me up and we all agreed that if anything happened to Emily because of them we would fight for her. She was a part of our family and they would just have to get over it. 

The concert ended and I quickly showered and changed my clothes before running out to find Emily. Tonight was my last night with her and I was determined to spend every moment of it with her. My eyes scanned the room, but found no sign of her. I was about to send her a text when I felt someone poke my side. I spun around, finding my grinning girlfriend looking back at me. A smile appeared on my face and I gave her a kiss on the cheek. 

“Hey you. Ready to get out of here?” I asked her. 

She nodded, slipping her hand into mine and intertwining our fingers. I smiled and we walked out to the VIP parking lot where the car I rented was parked. Emily raised her eyebrows and wrote something on her board. 

‘A ferrari convertible? Really?' 

“Are you being sarcastic or...” Emily waved her hand dismissively at me and got in. 

I chuckled before getting in the driver’s side. As we pulled out of the parking lot and stopped at a red light she wrote something on her board then showed it to me. 

‘Where are we going?' 

“It’s a surprise” I said with a grin. 

She huffed and turned to look out the window. She may act like she doesn’t like surprised, but I knew she loved them. 

Emily’s POV

I looked out the window as we drove through the streets of LA. The sun was just beginning to set over the ocean, the sky becoming different colors like pink, purple, and blue. I’ve always loved sunsets. I used to sit on the roof of my house and watch it go down every night. I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t realize we had stopped until Harry opened the door I was leaning on, causing me to jump back so I wouldn’t fall. He chuckled and held out his hand to me. 

“We’re here” he said. 

I took his hand and stepped out of the car, then looked around to find that we were at the beach. Harry grabbed something from the trunk, then turned to me with a smile. 

“Come on” 

We walked out onto the beach and he laid out a blanket for us to sit on then set a cooler down on it. I gave him a confused look, but he just grinned back at me. He pulled two bowls of my favorite ice cream out of the cooler which made me smile. He knew that I loved me some strawberry cheesecake ice cream. I took one of the bowls and a spoon from him and dug in. Sweet strawberry heaven. My face must have been pretty hilarious, because Harry burst out laughing as soon as I stuck the spoon in my mouth. 

“I’m sorry, but your face is hilarious whenever you eat this” I smacked him in the chest which just made him laugh more. That’s it. I scooped up some ice cream with the spoon and stuck it on his cheek. He gasped and looked at me. 

“You did not just do that” he said. 

I gave him my best innocent face, but it didn't help. Seconds later I felt the ice cold desert being squished into my face. I gasped and Harry just laughed. 

"That's what you get" he said with a grin. 

I let out a silent laugh. It was still so weird that I couldn't talk, laugh, or make any sound, but I was getting used to it. I grabbed my board to tell Harry not to waste the ice cream and showed it to him. He grinned and leaned in close to me. 

"You're right. We can't let it go to waste" He licked the ice cream off my cheek and I jumped back with a disgusted look on my face. 

He knew I hated that. He just laughed at me. 

"Alright, I'm sorry. Here, you can do it to me" he said pointing to his ice cream covered cheek. 

I shook my head, knowing that he would probably enjoy it. He pouted, but I just smirked at him. Ha. That's what you get Styles. He wiped his cheek with his sleeve and shot me a playful glare. I just smiled at him before taking another bite of ice cream. He chuckled and shook his head. After we finished our ice cream I saw Harry pull a small black box out of his coat pocket. My eyes widened at the sight of it. Oh no. Please tell me he's not proposing. 

"Don't worry. I'm not proposing. We'll save that for a later date" he said with a cheeky grin. "This is a promise ring" 

He opened the box revealing a beautiful silver and gold ring. It had two hearts on it. A large silver one, then a smaller gold one inside of it. I took it out to admire it and noticed an engraving on the inside. 'Always in my heart'. Harry let me admire it for a moment before taking it and sliding it onto my finger. 

"I promise you that I will always love and protect you. That I will always come back for you, and I will be thinking about you every moment that we're apart. I promise that I won't let anyone come between us, and that one day I'll be waiting at the altar when you walk out in white. You mean the world to me and I love everything about you. I love you so much" 

I didn't realize I was crying until he reached up to wipe the tears away. I didn't know what to say. I couldn't even describe the emotions I was feeling in that moment. So instead of telling him I showed him. I grabbed onto his shirt and pulled him forwards, pressing our lips together. His hands slid down to my waist while I moved mine up through his hair. We kissed like our lives depended on it and when we finally pulled away we were both breathless. 

"I'm gonna miss you. We'll have to Skype and text every day. I don't think I'll be able to go a day without seeing your beautiful face" Harry said. 

I smiled and nodded before snuggling up next to him. We both looked out over the water at the sunset that spread color across the darkening sky. I laid my head on Harry's shoulder, and we sat there silently just enjoying each other's company. Everything was perfect.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Her mother played by Angelina Jolie.

I woke up the next morning filled with grief. Today was the day I went back home and the first time being away from Harry. I laid in my bed, not wanting to get up, but then ‘Moves Like Jagger’ began to play on my phone telling me that Harry had sent me a text message. I set that as his ringtone since he looks a lot like Mick Jagger and he dances funny whenever he hears it. I hear it and I can’t help but picture him doing a goofy dance which makes me smile. I grabbed my phone and looked at the message.

‘We’re all coming up to help you pack…’

I felt tears in my eyes at the thought of leaving them, and I knew it would get worse when they actually got here. I sighed and got dressed in sweatpants and Harry’s black sweatshirt that I stole from him, then slipped on my black Ugg boots. I threw my hair up in a messy ponytail, deciding not to put any makeup on since it would just get washed off by the tears anyways. As I started packing the tears in my eyes began to cloud my vision. I had to stop for a moment to compose myself. A few seconds later I heard the door open followed by footsteps coming towards my room. Harry appeared in the doorway, his eyes already red from crying. I dropped the shirt I was holding and ran into his arms. The other boys joined in on the hug and we all just stood there for a long moment in silence. This was going to be harder than I thought. 

~.:o:.~ 

“Flight 1216 to London boarding in two minutes”

Harry’s hand tightened on mine as he heard those words. I gave his hand a squeeze, then turned to the other boys. I hugged Liam first, Daddy Direction. He gave me a brotherly kiss on the forehead and smiled at me.

“Don’t get into too much trouble while you’re gone” he said. 

‘Who me? I don’t get into trouble.’ I wrote on my board. 

He chuckled and shook his head at me. I then turned to Louis and wrote something for him.

‘My partner in crime. I’ll miss you, Lou’ Louis smiled and gave me a hug. 

“I’ll miss you, too.” We let go and next was Zayn, my lazy day buddy.   
‘I’m gonna miss my lazy buddy’ 

“Me too. I won’t have anyone to be lazy with” Zayn said with a pout. “But I’m glad you won’t be around to wake me up so rudely” 

I smacked his arm and he laughed. 

“I’m kidding. Come here” He pulled me into a hug which I quickly returned. 

As I pulled away I pinched his cheek, making him glare at me. I grinned before turning to my little leprechaun. I wrote something on my board for him. 

‘Horan hug for the road?’ He smiled and nodded. 

“Of course. Come here you.” He pulled me into the bear hug that I would miss so much. 

Tears started falling from my cheeks as it all became real. I was really leaving them. The boys that I had grown to know and love. It was a short time, but I feels like I’ve known them forever, grown up with them even. My life wouldn’t be the same without them around. As we pulled away I put Niall in a headlock and gave him a noogie which made the boys crack up laughing. All of them except Harry... 

I turned towards the curly haired boy and noticed tears forming in his emerald eyes. Seeing him like that threw me over the edge. I threw my arms around him and we both just broke down for the second time that day. 

“Don’t fall in love with any guys while you’re away” Harry said in attempt to joke. 

I reached my hand up and smacked him on the back of the head which made him laugh a little. He pulled back slightly before crashing his lips onto mine in a soft yet passionate kiss. The boys and Matt quickly turned their attention elsewhere, pretending to be interested in the wall, ceiling, or floor. 

“Flight 1216 to London is now boarding”  
Harry and I reluctantly pulled away. He wiped the tears from my cheeks while I wiped his. He smiled slightly. 

“Look at what you do to me” he said. 

“Oh, before we forget. The boys and I got something for you” Liam said. 

He held out a rectangular box with a bow on it. I raised my eyebrows at them. 

“Open it” Harry said. I took the box from Liam and pulled the lid off. My eyes widened at what was inside. I pulled out two custom made onesies. One was all black with the Batman logo on it, and the other was a baby blue One Direction one with ‘Harry’s Girlfriend’ printed on the back. I gave Harry a look and he just shrugged. 

“I thought we should get you your own so you wouldn’t have to steal mine all the time” he said. 

“Like you steal his sweatshirts” Louis added, pointing to the one I was wearing. 

‘What? They’re comfy’ I wrote to them. 

“Emily...We got to go” Matt said. 

I gave the boys one last group hug, then walked with Matt to the security line. I looked back at their sad faces, suddenly having second thoughts about leaving. They waved at me and I gave a weak one in return. 

‘I love you’ I signed to them. 

“WE LOVE YOU, TOO!” They all yelled back, catching the attention of everyone in the airport. I couldn’t help but smile at them. It would be a tough five months, but I would get through it. I had those five crazy boys to look forward to. 

~.:o:.~ 

“Emily! OH MY GOD I MISSED YOU!!” Jenna yelled as she attacked me in a hug. 

She had gone home the day after I woke up from the hospital so she could see her family. The rest of the band went home as well. 

‘I missed you, too’ I wrote. 

Jenna went to open her mouth, but paused when she heard ‘Moves Like Jagger’ playing from my phone. I pulled it out of my pocket and looked at the text from Harry.

From Harry: I miss you. Come back :’(  
To Harry: I miss you, too. I got the perfect thing to cheer you up :) I took a goofy picture of myself then sent it to him. A few seconds later I got another picture back of him and the boys all making hilarious faces. Jenna and I burst out laughing. I quickly saved it to my phone then set it as my background on my phone.

From Harry: That really did cheer me up. It’s my background now :)  
To Harry: So is yours :P. I might just put it on Twitter as well  
From Harry: You forget about that embarrassing picture I have of you from last week  
To Harry: You told me you deleted that!  
From Harry: Haha. I couldn’t. It’s just too cute. I got to go. We’re skyping tonight! 10pm. Love you xxx.  
To Harry: Love you too xxxx 

“You guys are so adorable. I wish Jason would send me cute messages like that” Jenna said from behind me. 

‘Jason is too awkward for that’ I wrote on my board. 

“True...Anyways, let’s go back to your place and watch movies!” She grabbed my arm and pulled me along before I could answer. I guess we’re going back to my house. 

~.:O:.~ 

“Like this?” Jenna asked as she held up her hand, signing her name. 

I nodded and smiled. She was really getting the hang of it. Apparently she had been practicing since she got home so we would be able to talk without people knowing what we were saying. It really annoyed me when people did that to me, but I had to admit that it’s pretty fun to do it myself. Matt and I had a conversation while we waited for our bags at the airport and everyone around us were looking at us like we were crazy. To them it looked like we were just waving our arms around and making weird shapes with our hands. We even got a little kid to tug on his mom’s shirt and as what we were doing. 

“I don’t know what I’d do if I were in your position. You know how much I love to talk” Jenna said, snapping me out of my thoughts. 

I smiled and nodded, writing something on my board.

‘Believe me. I know’ 

“Oh, shut up” We were having a great time together until the doorbell rang. 

I got up to go answer it and immediately regretted it. In the doorway stood the one person I never wanted to see again. The one who treated me like I was nothing...Who hated me from the day I was born...The one who left me motherless.

What is she doing here?


	13. Chapter 13

*Flashback*

It was late. At least one in the morning when she came home. She walked into the house giggling as a random man started to kiss her. I was sitting in the living room watching tv at the time and they hadn’t noticed me yet, but not for long. I was pissed. No. I was BEYOND pissed. How dare she cheat on my father while he was off risking his life every day as a cop. And with someone she didn’t even know. 

“Hey!” I yelled, catching their attention. 

“Babe, who’s the kid?” the man asked. 

“Nobody. Just ignore her” My mother answered. 

“How could you do this to Dad while he’s off risking his life on the streets as a cop! You cheating whore!” I screamed. 

“Wait, you’re married?” the man asked.

“I-I...No! She’s lying! David, please”

“No. I don’t cheat. Especially with a cop’s wife, and with a kid. What the hell is wrong with you?!” He stormed out of the house and sped off in his car. 

My mother turned to me with fury in her eyes. 

“You little bitch! I knew you were a mistake! Why can’t you be a good daughter like everyone else!!?” 

“Why?! So you can cheat on dad again?! By the way, I’ll be telling him about you sleeping around when he gets home tonight!” 

Her hand connected with my cheek, nails drawing blood. Tears fell from my eyes at the burning sensation. 

“You are the worst mistake I’ve made. Go ahead. Tell your father. I won’t be here. I’m going to find myself a better husband and an obedient daughter. One who isn’t like you. Who isn’t ugly, or a complete waste of space” I watched as she packed her bags and stormed out of the house. 

The second she pulled away I broke down crying. Matt showed up a few minutes later and found me sitting against the wall crying my eyes out. 

“Emily?! What happened to you?!” he asked worriedly as he looked at my cheek. 

I didn’t answer him. I couldn’t. Her words were still ringing in my head. Adding to years upon years of bullying and name calling that I had been subjected to both at school and at home. I was broken... 

~.:o:.~ 

“Emily! Darling! Give mummy a hug” I tensed as she pulled me into her arms. 

Mummy? Since when did she decide she wanted anything to do with me? And who the hell is that girl with her? She looked about my age with blond hair and blue eyes. I was absolutely shocked and she took the chance to push past me into the house. I quickly snapped out of it and rushed into the living room where they had already made themselves comfortable. 

“What is she doing here?” Jenna hissed at me. 

‘I don’t know. Call Matt’ I wrote for her. 

She nodded and walked into the kitchen to call him (he had gone out to get us some pizza for dinner), while I tried to deal with them. They looked at me with fake smiles on their faces. 

“Come sit with me sweetie” My mom, Jill, said. 

I shook my head, not moving from my spot. 

“Alright then” 

‘What are you doing here?’ I wrote. 

“I came to see you of course. I heard about what happened and I was worried about you” 

Worried about me? The only thing she had ever been worried about was that I would ruin her love life while my father was away. Why would she care now? 

“Since your father is away on business for a couple weeks I wanted to come to take care of you” she continued. 

‘I have Matt’ 

“He can’t give you what you need. You need a mother. I thought that you would like to get to know your sister, Bella, as well” 

“I’ve been wanting to meet you. I heard you’re dating Harry Styles. I’d love to meet him” Bella, the girl she came with, said with a smile. 

Jenna walked into the room and nodded to me, signaling that she got through to Matt and he was on his way. 

‘I don’t want anything to do with either of you. Get out’  
“That’s no way to speak to your mother!” My fists clenched together. 

Did she really think that she could just walk in here and act like nothing had happened? I wanted so bad to just scream at her. Let her know exactly what I was feeling. I wanted her to know the pain she had put me through, but I couldn’t. I could try and try, but nothing would come out. And what was this Bella chick’s deal with Harry? I didn’t like the look she was giving me. It was like she wanted to steal him away from me. A car pulled into the driveway and moments later the door opened as Matt ran in. He paused in the doorway and glared at them. 

“What the hell are you doing here?” he demanded. “You have no right to be here!"

“I have every right to be here! I wanted to see my daughter, and my son!” 

“You stopped being our mother the second you walked out on us! A mother wouldn’t say all those things to her daughter or lay a hand on her! You have no idea how much pain you put Emily through! She was going through enough at school as it was and then you went and made it worse! Get out of my house and stay away from my little sister! You can all go to hell!” he yelled. 

Jill kept her calm, but I could see that she was just irate with being yelled at by him. 

“Come on, Bella” she said standing up. The two walked past me and Bella purposefully bumped into my shoulder.  
“Keep that boyfriend of yours close” she said with a smirk. 

I started to go after her, wanting to punch the smirk right off her face, but Matt stopped me. I turned to him and hugged him tightly. I fought back tears that were threatening to fall. There was no way I was going to break because of them. 

“Did she hurt you at all?” Matt asked. 

I shook my head. 

‘I don’t get why she decided to turn up now’ I signed to him. 

“Me either...But she won’t hurt you again. I promise” He kissed my forehead. “Now, let’s just forget about all of that and have some fun. I rented a bunch of movies for us” 

“Yeah. Let’s eat some yummy delicious pizza!” Jenna said.

I smiled and nodded. As long as I had them, nothing would get to me. 

~.:o:.~ 

The rest of the night was spent eating pizza and watching funny movies. I had completely forgotten about my run in with Jill and Bella halfway through our little movie marathon. Jenna and Matt made sure of that by acting all goofy to make me laugh. I loved them both to death. 

“Hey, Emily. Didn’t you have a Skype thing with Harry at 10?” Jenna asked. 

I nodded and looked at the time. 10:15 pm. Shit! I jumped up from the couch and bolted up the stairs to my bedroom where my laptop was waiting on my bed. I impatiently waited for the thing to turn on before quickly logging into Skype. 

“Please still be there” I thought. 

My eyes landed on his name and I sighed in relief when I saw he was still online. I clicked on it and seconds later his face popped up on the screen.

“Emily!” He cried happily.  
‘HARRY!’ I wrote.

“God I missed you. It’s only been one day, but it already seems like forever! I don’t know how I’m going to stand being away from you for five months!” 

‘We’ll make it. How was your day?’ 

“It was alright. It’s not the same without you here” He pouted and I smiled. 

“HI HARRY!” Jenna yelled as she popped up out of nowhere. 

I jumped and nearly threw the laptop. Harry burst out laughing at my reaction. 

“Hi, Jenna!” 

“What’s crackalackin?” 

“Nothing really, just skyping with my beautiful girlfriend and her friend. What about you?” 

“Oh, I’m skyping with my best friend’s boyfriend. He’s got hair like a mop. It’s weird” 

“Haha. Very funny. Too bad no one cares what you think” 

“Hey! Jerk! Fine! I’m not talking to you anymore”

Jenna stuck her tongue out at him and decided to play around on the keyboard I had in my room. I shook my head as she tried to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, but failed. 

“She’s not very good at that is she?” Harry asked me. 

‘Nope’ 

“Harry!” Louis’ voice screamed from the background. 

“Be right back” Harry said jumping out of bed and running off. 

I waited a few minutes, wondering what was wrong with Louis. My question was answered when a laughing Harry came back into view. 

“He found my amazing art work”

Harry turned the laptop around to reveal a very annoyed Louis standing there, hand on his hips, with weird and rude doodles all over his face. I laughed. 

“Don’t be surprised if your boyfriend suddenly goes missing” Louis said. 

‘Don’t you dare touch my Harry!’ I wrote to him. 

“You’re Harry? Um, excuse me. He’s mine” 

‘Not anymore, BooBear’

“That’s not fair! I’ll fight you for him!” 

“Louis, who are you yelling at?” A sleepy Niall asked as he walked in. His eyes lit up when he saw me. “Emily!” 

‘NIALL!! <3’

“Hey! How come you don’t write hearts by my name!” Harry said with a pout. 

“Cause I’m her favorite” Niall said with a grin.  
“Are not! I am!” Liam yelled as he ran in with his batman shirt, Zayn following behind. 

“Hi, Emily!” Zayn said with a wave. We spend the next couple hours talking before Matt came in and told us to go to sleep. I laid on my bed for a while before finally falling asleep in hopes that the next five months would go by fast.


	14. Chapter 14

It’s been three months since my mother appeared out of the blue, and she hasn’t bothered us since then. My dad has been home for a month now and I’m now living with him instead of Matt. When we told him about what happened he didn’t seem too happy about it, but decided that he wouldn’t dwell too much on it. Instead, he caught up on lost time with us. It felt great to have him back. Everything was almost back to normal. 

Harry texted me every chance he had, even if it was only one message. I also got loads of messages from the boys, most of which were to complain about how annoying Harry had gotten since I left. Apparently he had taken up my position as master prankster of the group and was constantly pulling pranks on them. I personally found it hilarious, but decided to keep that to myself so they wouldn’t get mad at me. 

I still get asked for autographs and pictures on the street from fans. They ask me how I’m doing and about Harry so I reply to them the best I can. A week after I had gotten home Ryan sent out a press release explaining why I had to leave the tour and everything that had happened. Fans were shocked to hear about me losing my ability to speak, but quickly became supportive of me. 

“Emily! Hurry up! You’re going to be late for your appointment!” My dad called. 

I snapped out of my thoughts at the sound of his voice. Today was the day that I went to get my throat and lungs examined for the first time since the fire. They were going to tell me whether or not things were healing right and if I had a chance of speaking again. This visit could make or break my entire career choice. No pressure. I walked outside to find my dad waiting for me in the car. He smiled as I got in. 

“Ready?” I nodded and we drove off towards the hospital. “So what do you want to do for your birthday this weekend?” My dad asked. Birthday? Oh...right. I can’t believe I forgot about it. I remember talking to Harry about it the other day and he was bummed that he and the boys couldn’t make it, but they would be sure to send me presents even though I told them not to. I pulled up a talking app that Harry told me about and typed my response so the automated voice spoke it back to him. 

"I don’t know. Nothing too big" 

“Nothing too big? Emily this is your birthday party. You should have some fun with it." 

I just shrugged, thus ending that conversation for the time being as we pulled up to the hospital. We sat in the examination room waiting for the doctor to come back with the test results. It had been over an hour and I was already a nervous wreck. Hospitals reminded me of the fire. How terrifying it was...The heartbreaking look on Harry’s face when he thought he was going to lose me. I just wanted to leave. 

“Miss Brighten?” The doctor asked as he walked in. “I have some great news. It looks like your throat and lungs have healed perfectly. All of the removed tissue has rebuilt itself and your vocal chords look great. You should be able to speak just fine now” 

My father turned to me with a smile on his face, expecting to hear me say something. 

“Come on, honey. Give it a try” he said. 

My hands started to tremble. I wanted to say something, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. The fear of trying and having nothing come out still haunted my brain from before. Sure they said it would be fine, but what if they were wrong? 

“Emily. Sweetheart, look at me. Calm down” My father took hold of my hands as I started to hyperventilate. 

I felt like I was back in the fire, unable to breathe due to the thick smoke. Beads of sweat dripping down my forehead from the heat. 

“Is she always like this?” The doctor asked as he quickly tried to figure out what was wrong.

“Sometimes. She has nightmares about the fire most nights and only gets like this around hospitals or fire”

“I see. I’ll get something to calm her”

“Wait. That won’t be necessary.”  
He pulled out his cellphone and quickly dialed a number. After a few moments the person answered. He said something into the phone, then held it to my ear. 

“Emily?” Harry’s husky voice said. “Emily, I need you to breathe okay? Take a deep breath. Everything is alright. You’re safe” 

Relief flooded through me. The fear slowly fading away as he spoke. My breath evened out as he kept talking to me and soon I was back to normal. My dad told Harry that I was okay and then handed the phone back to me. 

“I have to go now, but I’ll text you later. I love you”

The drive home from the hospital was silent. After my little episode the doctor had suggested that I see a therapist to work out whatever issues I had left from the fire. He thought that it was a psychological thing that could be easily treated with medicine, but I knew that the only thing I needed was Harry. For some odd reason I felt safest with him even though my father and Matt had been with me the longest. Maybe it was because he was the one who got me out of the fire. My father pulled into the driveway and got out of the car. I followed him into the house and he shut the door behind me with a sigh. 

‘I’m sorry’ I signed. 

“It’s alright. You’re not ready yet, and that’s ok. You don’t have to rush this” 

I nodded, still feeling guilty about putting him through all of this. He noticed the look on my face and pulled me into a hug. 

“Hey, none of this is your fault alright? You didn’t ask for this. None of us did. It’s just one of those things that no one expects. No matter what, you’re still my crazy little girl” I looked up at him and smiled. “There’s that smile. Now how about we have a movie day? Just the two of us?” 

My smiled widened and I nodded. I missed our movie nights. We used to do it every Saturday. We’d just sit around on the couch all day watching our favorite movies and trying to point out any film errors. You could say that it was our father/daughter time. Not exactly what most normal families do, but who ever said we were normal? 

Harry’s POV

“Boys. I need to speak with you” Paul said as he walked into our dressing room. We all huddled around him, wondering what he wanted to talk to us about.  
“It’s about Emily’s surprise party. I did everything I could, but the best I got was the night you fly in. You’d have to leave by 10AM the next morning in order to make it back in time" 

“I don’t care. Even a few hours with her is better than nothing” I said. 

“Yeah, and we have to go to her birthday party. Harry has to sing that amazing song he wrote for her!” Niall said. 

“She’s going to cry. No doubt about it” Liam added. 

I smiled at them. Ever since she left I had been working on a song for her with the help of Louis since he taught me piano. We just finished it two days ago and it turned out amazing. I called Emily’s dad and we both planned a huge surprise party for her that we were going to perform at. All of her family and friends were going to be there, except for the ones who were horrible to her. I made sure to hire security for it to make sure none of them got in. Her party was going to be perfect. Speaking of Emily, her ringtone began to blow up my phone so I picked it up and looked at the message.

From Emily: Going to the hospital to get everything checked out. I wish you were here with me :(  
To Emily: Me too. Good luck. I love you xx  
From Emily: Love you too xx

“Was that from Emily?” Liam asked. 

“Yeah. She’s going to the hospital to see how things are healing. If everything is going well then she might be able to talk again” 

“That’s great!” Zayn said. 

“Yeah. I just wish I was there with her though. She doesn’t really do well in hospitals since the fire” 

“Her dad and Matt are there. I’m sure she’ll be fine” Louis said. 

“I hope so...” 

A couple hours went by and I still haven’t heard anything from Emily. Part of me was hoping that it was good news and that she was out celebrating, but the other was scared to death. I had a gut feeling that something was wrong and it terrified me. From what her father told me, she had really bad nightmares about the fire and would wake up shaking and crying. He had originally called me as a last resort, but I actually managed to calm her down. Now whenever she had a nightmare they would call me and I’d talk to her for a few minutes so she would be ok. I walked out on a couple interviews to do so, but they understood. I decided to send her a text to ask her how she was going, but just as I was about to send it my phone started ringing. Except it wasn’t Emily. It was her father. My heart started racing. He only called me in emergencies. I quickly answered it. 

“What’s happening? Is Emily alright?!” I asked right away. 

“She’s having a panic attack” “Alright, put me on”  
I heard him move his phone so it was against her ear. I knew this because I heard her hyperventilating. 

“Emily? I need you to breathe okay? Take a deep breath. Everything is alright. You’re safe” I said softly. 

The boys all looked at me, knowing exactly what was happening. I kept talking to her until I heard her breathing go back to normal. Her father came back on and told me that everything was alright now. 

“Ok, good. Can I say goodbye to her real quick?” 

“Of course” He put her back on. 

“I have to go now, but I’ll text you later. I love you” He hung up and I turned to the boys who were anxiously waiting to find out what happened. “She had another panic attack at the hospital” 

“What did they find out?” Niall asked. 

“I don’t know. I didn’t ask. I will this weekend though” 

They nodded and we all started to get ready for the concert. Only three more days....Three days until I could see her beautiful face again


	15. Chapter 15

The next few days went by quickly, and today is my birthday. Ever since I woke up this morning I’ve been getting birthday texts from the boys and distant family members. I even got a call from my dad’s military buddies who are like my crazy uncles. “Emily! There’s a delivery for you!!” My dad called from downstairs. I forced myself out of bed and walked downstairs to find a bouquet of at least a dozen multicolored roses on the kitchen counter. I smiled and inhaled the fresh scent before looking at the card.

To the beautiful birthday girl,  
I love you until the last rose dies  
-H

P.S.  
Your present will arrive later tonight :) 

At first the note confused me. Until the last rose dies? That won’t be very long. There was no way that I could keep them alive for very long. I glanced at the roses again and finally realized what he did. That cheeky boy. He had placed a fake rose in the bouquet. 

“How cute” My father teased as he read the card over my shoulder. I blushed and hit him in the arm. “I’m teasing. Happy Birthday, kiddo. Now get ready. Jenna and your cousin Zoe are taking you out for the day” 

I gave him a confused look, but decided not to argue with him. I turned back to the flowers and placed the card on top of them, then took a picture of it so I could post it on Twitter.

@EmmyB13: Thank you for the birthday roses @Harry_Styles. They’re beautiful xx

Harry tweeted back right away.

@Harry_Styles: Not as beautiful as you! I can’t wait for you to see your birthday present! It’s going to be the greatest! Love you! xxx.

I smiled, then ran back upstairs to get ready for my day out with Zoe and Jenna. 

~.:o:.~ 

“Try this one on!” Jenna said as she threw what seemed like the hundredth dress into my arms. She and Zoe have been making me try on dress after dress, insisting that I get one because they were going to take me out tonight. I tried on countless designs and colors, but didn’t really like any of them. That is until a certain one caught my eye. It was a glittery gold dress that had three quarter length sleeves. When I tried it on it came down to my mid thigh and hugged my curves perfectly. 

“Well, aren’t you going to show us?!” Jenna exclaimed. I walked out and they both grinned at me.

“That one is perfect” Jenna said.

“Yeah. You could wear black tights and those heels you have and it would be perfect!” Zoe added. 

“Now come on. Let’s pay for it then get something to eat. I’m starving” Jenna said. 

I couldn’t help but think of Niall when she said that. He was always eating something or complaining about being hungry. I wonder what he was doing now… Or the other boys. Probably getting ready for some interview or something. A sigh escaped my lips at the thought of them. It sucked that they couldn’t be here with me. Especially Harry. God I missed him. 

“Emily...Earth to Emily!” Zoe said waving her hands in front of my face. 

I snapped out of my thoughts and looked at her. 

“You alright?” Jenna asked. 

I shrugged and she gave me a look that told me to explain further. I pointed to my promise ring and she immediately understood. 

“Oh. Thinking about Harry?” I nodded, keeping my eyes on the ring as I messed with it. 

“Who is Harry?” Zoe asked.

“Her boyfriend” Jenna answered.

“Boyfriend? Since when do you have a boyfriend?!” 

“You don’t follow the media much do you?” Jenna asked her.  
“No. Why would I?” 

“Emily, give me your phone” Jenna said to me. 

I gave it to her and she found a picture of Harry and I, then showed it to Zoe as she explained how we met for me. Zoe looked through the pictures and ‘awed’. 

“He gave you that promise ring?” she asked. I nodded and took it off so she could she the inscription on it.

“Aww! That’s so cute!!”

“And this morning he sent her a dozen roses with a card that said “I love you until the last rose dies”

“How is that cute? All roses die”

“One of them was fake”  
“What?! AWWW!! Oh my god, Emily! You better marry this guy!” I smiled and slipped the ring back on my finger. 

If only she knew how many times I’ve daydreamed about that.

~.:o:.~ 

“Hurry up, girls! Dad is waiting for us!” Matt called up the stairs. 

“Just a minute!” Jenna called back to him. 

We finished up the last touches of our makeup then turned to each other to make sure we got everything. Jenna wore a knee length blue sleeveless dress, while Jenna wore a pink one sleeved dress. Both looked amazing. I looked at myself in the mirror. My hair was straight, bangs swept to the left. I had to admit, I looked pretty damn good. The three of us made our way downstairs to find Matt and my dad waiting for us. They turned around and smiled at the sight of us. 

“Wow. You girls look beautiful” Matt said.  
‘Thank you’ I signed while the other girls spoke it. 

“Well, let’s go. Our reservations are at seven which gives us fifteen minutes to get there” 

We all piled into the black SUV then headed off towards our destination. As we drove I noticed that we were going in the opposite direction of the restaurant. I nudged Matt’s shoulder to get his attention. 

‘Where are we going?’ I signed to him. 

“The restaurant” 

‘The restaurant is that way’ I signed, pointing behind us. 

“We’re taking the long way” he said with a grin. 

I raised my eyebrows, then looked at the others in the car. All of them shared similar knowing grins on their faces that made me kind of uncomfortable. We eventually stopped outside of a random building that I’ve never seen before. It was just a wall with a single door in the middle. 

“Come on” Matt said as he took my hand. 

He led me into the building and we walked down a long hallway before coming to another door. He paused and held it open for me. I hesitated, seeing that the room was pitch black, but ended up stepping forwards anyway. The lights turned on and a chorus of voices yelled, “Surprise!”. I jumped at the sudden noise and they laughed. My eyes traveled around the crowd and saw all of my friends and family there. Well, almost. I was slightly disappointed that the boys weren’t there, but I would at least try to have fun. Even if the one person who I wanted to be here wasn’t. 

~.:o:.~ 

Everything was going great. I was having an amazing time dancing and just having fun with everyone. We had just finished doing the Cupid Shuffle when the music suddenly stopped and Matt walked out onto the stage that was set up in the back of the room. 

“Excuse me, everyone. It’s time for the birthday girl’s big surprise. Could I have Emily come to the front of the stage please?” he asked. 

I walked over to stand in front of the stage like I was told and Matt grinned at me.

“Alright, we have some very special guests here tonight. Ones that I know my sister has missed very much. One in particular...” He said with a wink. 

My heart sped up. He wasn’t saying… But they said... 

“Give it up for One Direction!” I gasped as they ran out on the stage. 

My eyes locked with Harry’s and he grinned at me. No wonder everyone was acting so weird whenever I mentioned the fact that I was bummed about them not being able to make it. They were planning on surprising me. 

“Hello! I’m Harry Styles”

“We know!” Jenna yelled. 

Everyone laughed, including Harry. 

“Yes, and I know you too, Jenna. I was just saying that for the people who may not know who I am. Anyways, as I was saying, I’m Harry and I’m lucky enough to call Emily my girlfriend. I couldn’t ask for a better person to be in love with. So, as a birthday present, I decided to write her a song about all the little things I love about her. Happy birthday, baby.”

All the boys sat down on stools, Harry’s a few feet in front of the others’. Niall's guitar was on his lap and began to play a song that I immediately loved already. I couldn’t keep the smile off my face as Harry began to sing. (A/N: I know that Harry doesn’t start it or sing the whole song, but he’s going to in this story. The boys are just back up) “Your hand fits in mine like it's made just for me...'

By the time he finished singing I was almost in tears, but I forced myself not to so my makeup wouldn’t get ruined. Harry kept his eyes locked with mine as he stood up and handed his mic to Louis. He jumped off the stage, walked over to me, and crashed his lips onto mine. I ignored the whistles we were getting from the people around us and wrapped my arms around his neck to deepen the kiss. A few moments passed before I pulled back, smiling like crazy. 

“I know I said I wasn’t coming, but I wanted to surprise you. Besides, there was no way that I was missing your birthday and this just gave me an excuse to see you” he said. 

‘I missed you’ I signed slowly so he would understand. 

‘I missed you, too. I’ve been practicing while you were away’ he signed back.  
“You look beautiful” he said normally. 

I blushed and he grinned, kissing my cheek. 

“Emily!!” Louis yelled popping out of nowhere. I laughed as he lifted me up in a hug and spun me around. 

“Me next!” Niall said. 

The second Louis set me on my feet I was pulled into the Horan hug that I missed so much. I hugged him back tightly and kissed his cheek. He grinned, a slight blush forming on his cheeks. I gave Liam and Zayn a hug as well, then went back over to Harry and wrapped my arms around his torso. He smiled, wrapping his around my shoulders and kissing my temple. This is officially the best birthday ever.


	16. Chapter 16

Harry POV

I sat at a table with Matt and the boys, Emily sitting on my lap. They were talking to her about random things while Matt translated for them, but I wasn’t paying attention to them. I was focused on Emily. She looked so beautiful tonight, just like always. I kept my arms locked around her waist as I watched her smile at something Niall told her. Words can’t describe how much I’ve missed her the past three months. It just hasn’t been the same without her. I felt like a part of me was missing, and now that she’s in my arms I feel whole again. 

“Harry. Can I speak with you for a moment?” Emily’s father said as he appeared beside us.

“Um, yeah. Of course” I said. 

Emily got off my lap and I gave her a kiss before walking outside with her father so we could talk. I glanced back at Emily who was watching us with a worried look on her face. Seeing her like that made me nervous. I wonder what he wanted to talk to me about. Well, I guess I’m about to find out. We stopped outside where no one was around before he turned to me. 

“So, what did you want to talk about?” I asked, a slight fear in my voice. 

“Relax, kid. I’m not going to yell at you or anything. It’s about Emily” 

My heart immediately started pounding and everything became serious.

“What about Emily? Is she okay?”

“Yeah. She’s great actually. You know we went to the hospital a few days ago, and they gave us great news. They said she should be able to talk now because everything is healed perfectly. The problem is that she won’t try to speak. Every time she does she has a panic attack” 

“She had one when you called me...Is that the reason she was like that?”

“Yes. I was hoping that maybe you could convince her to try, since she feels more comfortable with you. Something I still don’t understand, but I’m not exactly complaining” I smiled slightly and nodded. 

“I’ll talk to her” 

“Great. Now get back in there. I’m sure she’s probably thinking I’m murdering you or something” he joked. 

“Yeah. You coming?” “I’m going to stay out here for a bit” “Alright”

I walked back into the building thinking about what he said. If Emily was good to talk again, then why wasn’t she?

~.:o:.~ 

Emily’s POV

When Harry came back from his talk with my dad he was deep in thought. He sat beside me and stared off into space. It worried me. I took his hand in mine, causing him to look up. 

‘You okay?’ I signed to him. 

“Yeah. Just thinking is all” He smiled and gave me a kiss, but I still wasn’t convinced. 

I eventually decided to just let it go and turned my attention back to the boys. My eyes landed on Niall who was staring at something...or someone. I followed his gaze and found that it was Zoe that he was staring at. A grin formed on my face. Now that I thought about it, the two of them would be perfect together. Both were happy, care free, and laughed constantly. Not to mention the fact that they were both obsessed with food. I poked harry to get his attention and he turned to me. I pointed to Niall, then to Zoe, and he immediately understood. I grabbed his phone from the table and wrote something to him. You ask Zoe to dance and I’ll take Niall. Tell her about Niall and then we’ll bring them together. He grinned and nodded. I stood up and asked Matt to translate to Niall for me, then got the irishman’s attention. 

‘Dance?’ 

“She wants to know if you want to dance with her” Matt translated. Niall grinned up at me. 

“Yeah Buddy!”

I smiled and took his hand, pulling him onto the dance floor. It was a slow song so we were swaying back and forth. I glanced over his shoulder to find Harry dancing with Zoe, both of them glancing in our direction as he told her about Niall. She looked him over, then at me. I gave her a thumbs up, then nodded to Harry. He danced her over to us and spun her, then I quickly backed away from Niall so she would fall into his arms. Niall looked at us confused, then blushed when we winked at him.

~.:o:.~

Niall’s POV

I just couldn’t stop staring at her. The way her wavy brown hair fell perfectly over her shoulders, the way she laughed, the way she smiled. She was just perfect. The crazy thing was that I didn’t even know this girl. She must be related to Emily somehow. Maybe I’ll ask her about it later. I was snapped out of my thoughts when Emily got up and asked me to dance. Of course, I agreed. She was my best friend after all and I loved her to death. I couldn’t even count the number of times that she’s brightened my day. Sometimes I would see all of the boys sitting happily with their girlfriends and feel lonely and left out, but Emily made everything better. She would spend time with me instead of going out with Harry when I felt down or she’d invite me to do things with them. She also made sure that I didn’t feel like the third wheel when I was with them, and I am forever grateful to her for that. 

We danced for a few moments before she glanced over my shoulder at something. I turned to see Harry dancing with the girl I was staring at earlier. I couldn’t help but feel jealous of him. He had no problem going up to her and asking her to dance. If only I had his confidence. I decided to focus on Emily to make me feel better, but she wasn’t there anymore. Seconds later someone fell into my arms and I grabbed onto them to make sure they didn’t fall. 

“Oh, my gosh. I’m so sorry” 

I looked down to find myself staring at the most beautiful brown eyes I have ever seen. We both stared at each other for a moment, unable to speak. I glanced up at Harry and Emily who were grinning at me. They winked at us and I immediately felt my cheeks turn red. I quickly turned my attention back to the girl in my arms after realizing that I haven’t said anything yet. 

“Don’t worry about it. I’m Niall” I said. 

She smiled and I felt like my knees were going to give out. 

“Zoe”  
“Zoe” I repeated. I liked the way that rolled off my tongue. 

“Well, Zoe, since we’re already here, would you like to dance?” I asked her with a new found confidence.

“Yeah. I’d love to” We smiled at each other and I put one hand on her waist while the other held hers. She put hers on my shoulder and we swayed back and forth to the music. 

~.:o:.~ 

Emily’s POV

I couldn’t help but smile at them as they started up a conversation on the dance floor. They were just too adorable. I could already tell that they were going to get along perfectly by the way the two of them were acting. Get Niall a girlfriend. Check that off my list of things to do. 

“Emily...”  
Harry’s voice brought me out of my thoughts. I turned to see him staring at me with that intense look in his eyes and a serious look on his face. “Your dad told me about what the doctor said”  
My smile faded and I looked away from his eyes. So that’s what they were talking about. He probably told Harry to convince me to try and talk. I felt Harry lift my chin up with his finger so I was looking up at him. 

“Emily, you’re able to talk again. Why won’t you try?” 

‘I’m scared’ I signed. 

“Why? What are you so afraid of?” 

‘Reliving the fire’ 

Harry stopped moving and put his hands on my cheeks.

“Emily, nothing like that will ever happen to you again. I promise you. You have nothing to be afraid of. We made it out, and now you get a chance to follow your dream again, but you have to try. Don’t give up on me now. You can do it” 

I wanted so hard to believe him. That I would open my mouth and speak and everything would be alright. But I couldn’t help but remember that terrifying feeling of waking up from a horrible nightmare and not being able to say anything. It wasn’t as easy as everyone was making it out to be. 

‘I can’t’ I signed. 

A tear escaped my eye and he quickly wiped it away, then pulled me into a hug.  
“It’s alright. You don’t have to rush this. Just remember that I’ll be right here with you no matter what happens” He kissed my head, rocking me back and forth in a calming manner. 

I buried my face into his chest and hugged him tightly. Maybe one day I would try...As long as I had Harry here by my side I would be okay...no matter what the outcome was. 

~.:o:.~ 

The next morning I woke up to find Harry sleeping peacefully next to me. He and the boys had stayed over night so we could spend time together before they had to leave. All of us had a great time playing random games like Twister and Just Dance. I couldn’t help but feel a little sad that they had to leave again, but at least I got to spend some time with them. I watched Harry’s sleeping face for a long time, thinking about what he had said the night before. I really shouldn’t have anything to be afraid of. The fire was months ago and everything had turned out great regardless of what happened. Everyone made it out okay, except for my loss of voice, but even that wasn’t too bad. Maybe I should try... I took a deep breath and opened my mouth....then closed it again. I just couldn’t do it. A deep sigh escaped my lips. I’m such a scaredy cat. 

“Morning” Harry’s husky voice mumbled. 

I smiled and leaned in to give him a soft kiss. He smiled into the kiss, then rolled so he was hovering over me. His lips momentarily left mine to leave soft kisses down my jawline to my neck. I bit my lip, feeling butterflies in my stomach as he nipped at my skin. He moved down to my collar bone and quickly found my weak spot. I let out a small whimper, surprising myself because I could actually make a sound. Harry pulled back with a grin on his face. 

“See? You’ll be able to talk no problem. Just give it a try, love” I shook my head. “Alright then. I’ll just go back to what I was doing before”  
He started to kiss my neck again so I pushed him off of me and quickly got out of the bed. I heard him laugh as I walked out of the room, knowing that I knew he was right. The jerk... Still, he did manage to get a sound out of me, and it didn’t give me a panic attack at all. I didn’t have any bad reaction with it whatsoever. 

“Emily!” Zoe yelled suddenly, popping out of the guest bedroom that she was staying in. 

She pulled me into a bear hug that nearly squeezed the breath right out of me. 

“Oh my gosh! I love you! Thank you so much for bringing Niall and I together! He’s so adorable! We swapped numbers and we’re all going to get breakfast. You and Harry should come!” 

“We’d love to” Harry said, appearing behind me fully dressed. 

I looked back at him and he smirked at me. Boy did I want to smack that smirk off his face right now. 

“Great! I’ll tell Niall!” She skipped off happily and I couldn’t help but smile.  
“Those two seemed to really hit it off from last night” Harry commented. “That was a really good idea introducing those two. Niall hasn’t really had anyone in a long time” 

I nodded and turned to him. 

‘Going to change’ I signed. 

“Oo can I come?” he asked with a flirty smile. I raised my eyebrows at him, giving him the look. He held up his hands in defense. “Alright, maybe some other time. I’ll be with the boys” he said before walking away. I watched him until he disappeared down the stairs. What on earth was with him today? 

Harry’s POV

I couldn’t help but smile as I made my way downstairs. I had succeeded in getting something out of Emily. It wasn’t words or anything, but it was a start. At least now she knows that it isn’t as terrifying as she makes it out to me. Goal for the next four hours: Get Emily to talk. 

~.:2 Hours Later:.~  
Ok, so maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. I looked at the panicked faces of everyone as I stepped out onto a busy street. Cars were rushing by and honking angrily as they went past me, some drivers yelling at me to get out of the way. Regardless of how dangerous it was, I stood my ground. Whenever someone would try to make a step towards me I’d step back further onto the street. Emily stared back at me with a terrified look on her face. She was furiously signing at me to come back, but I stayed put. 

“I’ll come back if you say something” I called to her. 

She shook her head and I took another step back. Now I was full on in the middle of the bus lane, with a double decker bus headed straight towards me. She looked at it, then back at me. She looked like she was fighting herself to make a decision. I just hoped she loved me enough to make the right one. The bus horn blared at me as it tried to come to a stop. I knew all too well that it wouldn’t be able to stop in time anyway. It got closer and closer....Now just half a block away. I prepared myself to jump out of the way at the last second if I had to. Closer...closer...I could now see the terrified driver’s face. Come on, Emily! 

“HARRY!”


	17. Chapter 17

Emily’s POV

“HARRY!!” I screamed. 

For a split second I thought I lost him. The bus drove in front of me, blocking my view. For that split second, I didn’t breathe. My whole world came crashing down around me and I felt sick to my stomach. Then the bus passed us, revealing that Harry had jumped back out of the way at the last second. He made his way over to me and I threw my arms around him, tears falling from my eyes. I held onto him for dear life, completely relieved that he was alright. Then I remembered what he did. How he just stepped out into traffic, scaring the hell out of me, and nearly got killed just to make me talk. Boy was I pissed. I pushed him back and slapped him across the face. 

“YOU IDIOT! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THE HELL YOU JUST PUT ME THROUGH! I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU DID THAT! YOU COULD HAVE GOTTEN YOURSELF KILLED!” I continued to scream at him, occasionally hitting him to make a point. 

He just stood there, grinning at me as I went off on him. I felt like shoving him back out into traffic. That’s how mad I was. It made me even more angry to see that grin on his face. He thought this was funny. That it was just all fun and games. He had no idea that I had been through hell during that five minute stunt he pulled. The boys weren’t too happy about it either.

“Harry are you crazy! What is wrong with you!” Louis yelled.

“I can’t believe you right now!” Liam added. 

“You almost gave poor Emily a heart attack!” Niall said. Harry just laughed.

“You guys are missing the big picture here. Emily can talk again!”

Everyone paused and realized that he was telling the truth. They started cheering, completely forgetting their anger for Harry. Zayn was first to pull me into a big hug, then everyone just joined in with happy smiles on their faces. 

“Say something else!” Louis said.

“Something else..” I mumbled.

“Yeah! She's back!”

“Oh, She is back alright, and she is pissed” 

After hearing that everyone seemed to back off. Harry suddenly looked nervous. Yeah. That’s right curly. You better be.

~.:o:.~ 

Harry’s POV

Uh oh. I did not like the look she was looking at me. If looks could kill I would so be dead right now. I waited for her to slap me again or yell, but she didn’t do either. Instead she just stood there, arms crossed, glaring at me. I think her silence is scarier than anything else. 

“Emily, I know what I did was dangerous, but at least it gave you the courage to talk again” 

“I don’t care, Harry! You could have died. You have no idea how horrible that feeling is”

“Actually I do” I snapped. “I almost lost you too, you know! I know what it feels like!” 

“At least I didn’t do it on purpose!” 

“I don’t get why you’re so pissed about this! I did it to help you! It’s not like I was actually going to stay in the road either. I would have jumped out of the way regardless. I was trying to make you happy” 

“Well I’m not happy!”

“No, you’re too busy yelling at me for something stupid!” I immediately regretted saying that the moment the words left my mouth. A hurt look spread across her face and I saw tears in her eyes. 

“You think the fact that I care about you is stupid?” she said softly. “Fine then. I won’t care anymore. Go jump in front of another bus” 

She turned and walked off leaving me frozen in my place. What did I just do?

“Nice going, Harry” Louis snapped at me before running after her. 

The boys all gave me nasty looks before doing the same. I let out a deep sigh and sat down against a building, my head in my hands. This wasn’t going like I planned. I hoped that Emily would talk and everyone would be happy again, but I was wrong. I didn’t think about how she would feel when I ran out into traffic. I knew what it felt like to almost lost the one you care about most, and it’s something that I would never put on anyone, but I made Emily feel it. God I’m such an idiot.

~.:o:.~ 

Emily’s POV  
I can’t believe him. How could he say that? Deep down I knew that he probably never meant it, but hearing the words come out of his mouth hurt me. I knew I should be happy and grateful to him for helping me speak again, but I wasn’t. He would be leaving in an hour to go back on tour, and our last words were a big fight. Not exactly what I wanted the day to end with.

“Emily?” I turned to see Louis standing behind me with a concerned look on his face. He reached up and wiped the tears from my cheeks, then pulled me into a hug. 

“Why would he say that, Lou?” 

“I don’t know, Emily. I don’t think he actually meant to” 

“It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have started yelling at him” Louis pulled away and gave me a look.

“Girl you had every right to be mad” he said in a gay voice. I couldn’t help but laugh. Louis smiled at me. “There’s that smile. How about we go back to your house and hang out before we leave for the airport?” 

“Ok” 

~.:o:.~ 

Harry’s POV

I walked into the airport filled with grief. It killed me that I had to leave before I got the chance to fix things with Emily. I sent her multiple apology texts and tried calling her, but she never answered. Liam was the only one of the boys to talk to me, but it was just to tell me that they had my bag and would bring it to the airport. I sat in the VIP lounge and looked through pictures of Emily and me. I couldn't help but smile at some of the goofy ones we took together, but that smile quickly faded when I remembered the look on her face an hour before. So much for a happy break from the tour. 

"Harry" I looked up to see Zayn holding my bag out to me. I took it and mumbled a thanks before putting my head back down. 

"I'm an idiot. I don't know what I was thinking when I said that. She probably hates me now" I said quietly. 

"I wouldn't be so sure about that" I lifted my head up to see Zayn grinning at me. 

I gave him a confused look and he pointed off into the crowd. I was about to ask him what he was pointing at, but stopped when I saw her. She was smiling warmly at me as she walked towards us. I couldn't help myself any longer. I shot up from my seat and ran over to her, pulling her into my arms. 

"I'm so sorry, Emily. I didn’t mean any of it! I’m sorry I put you through that. I won’t do it every again. I promise!” I kept rambling about how sorry I was until she cut me off by pressing her lips to mine. 

My arms automatically wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer to deepen it. After a few moments she pulled away, much to my disappointment, and smiled at me.

“Harry, I forgive you, but I’m still mad at you” 

“Well, if you kiss me like that every time you’re mad I should piss you off more often” I said with a cheeky grin.  
She rolled her eyes.

“Don’t push it” 

“Ok, I’m sorry” 

“I really hate to break this up, but we have to get going” Zayn said. 

I turned back to Emily and gave her one last kiss, then pulled her into a bear hug. It would only be two more months, but I’d still miss her like crazy. Seeing her these past few days has made it loads easier though, and at least I had a good break from the tour. 

“I wish you could be coming with us” I said into her hair. “I know, but I have to go see Ryan about getting back into the studio. It’s only two months, Harry. You’ll survive. At least now I can call you” 

“Yeah. Tell me what happens with Ryan okay?”

“I will. Now get going. The boys are waiting for you” She stepped back, but I stepped forwards with her and placed a soft kiss on her lips. 

“I love you” 

“I love you, too, Haz.” 

Zayn handed me my bag and I gave Emily a little wave before following him towards the plane where the boys were. They all looked up at me as we walked in. 

“Well...Are you two back together?” Louis asked. 

“Yep” I said with a grin. He smiled and gave me a pat on the shoulder.

“You’re first couple fight and make up. You’re growing up so fast” He pretended to cry into Liam’s shoulder and I just rolled my eyes. 

“Let’s just get onto the plane” 

~.:o:.~ 

Emily’s POV

“So, how did it go?” Jenna and Zoe asked as I got into the car.

 

“Great. He was so happy to see me. The look on his face was just adorable” 

“You two are like the perfect couple. You get into a fight and not even an hour later you’re back together” Zoe said.  
“Cause we’re like Na Na Na, then we’re like ya ya ya” I said with a serious look on my face. 

Zoe looked at me in utter confusion which caused me to burst out laughing. Jenna joined in, obviously getting the joke I just made. 

“What?! Tell me what’s funny!” Zoe whined. 

“Naw, you hang out with Niall long enough and you’ll figure it out” 

“Fine. Be that way” She huffed and we drove out of the parking lot towards Starlit Records where I was going to talk with Ryan about getting back in the game. When we got there Zoe and Jenna sat in the waiting area while I went up to greet the receptionist. 

“Hey, Miranda” I said. Her eyes widened. 

“Oh my goodness! You can talk again!” 

“Yeah. Is Ryan here?” 

“Um, yes, but he’s in the studio with someone” 

“Ok, I’ll just wait outside” I made my way over to the recording room, intending on waiting outside the door, but I was stopped when I accidentally bumped into someone. 

“Oh, I’m sor-” I froze the moment I realized who it was...my mother. 

“You can speak again! Oh that’s wonderful!” she said going to hug me. I stepped back and stared at her.  
“What are you doing here?” I asked in a harsh tone. 

“Oh, didn’t you hear? Bella got a record deal. In face, she’s in recording right now. You should hear this new song she’s singing. It’s amazing. I think you wrote it actually”

“What?!” I pushed past her and threw open the studio door. 

Ryan turned in his chair, eyes widening at the sight of me, but I just stared at the person who was sitting on a couch behind him. He looked exactly the same as I remembered him from eight months ago. Same dark hair and brown eyes, and the same wicked grin on his face that he had when he broke my heart. 

“Eric...” 

“Hello, Emily. You look great. How are you?”

I ignored his question and turned to see Bella in the booth singing my song. My eyes landed on Ryan who looked annoyed. 

“What the hell is going on here?!” 

“You can speak again?” 

“No shit, Sherlock. What is that bitch doing singing my song?!” 

“It’s not your song anymore. You lost it the moment you lost your voice. It’s now the property of Starlit Records”  
“What?! You can’t do that! I wrote that song!” 

“Actually, I can. It was in your contract. If something ever happened to you that would make you unable to sing, then all recorded music becomes our property” 

“It’s only been three months! How could you do this to me?! You knew how much those songs mean to me! And you!” I turned to Eric. “What the hell are you doing here?!” 

“I’m Bella’s lead guitarist. I should really be thanking you Emily, because if you hadn’t lost your voice in that fire then we wouldn’t have gotten this record deal” he said with a smirk. 

My hands clenched into fists as I tried to control my emotions. I couldn’t believe it. Everything that I had worked so hard for and poured my heart into was gone. I felt tears forming in my eyes and I ran out of the room so they wouldn’t see me cry. Jenna and Zoe stood up as I walked over to them, concern shown on their faces. 

“Emily, what’s wrong?” Jenna asked.

“Can we please leave?” My voice cracking as I spoke. 

“Of course, come on”  
The girls wrapped their arms around me and we all walked out to the car. I sat in back with Zoe and the moment the door shut I just broke down. Zoe tried to soothe me, but it didn’t help. There was only one person who could make me feel better. Who could wrap his arms around me and tell me everything would be alright. But that person was on a flight back to America for the next two months. Harry.


	18. Chapter 18

Harry’s POV

We got off the plane and went straight to the news studio for an interview. As we waited to go on I decided to check my phone to see if Emily called, but found a bunch of other voice mails and texts from Matt and Jenna. I opened up the first text from Jenna and read it over.

From Jenna: Harry something happened when Emily went to see Ryan. She was really upset when she got done talking to him and now she’s just gone.

From Matt: Call me as soon as possible. Emily is gone and we don’t know where she is. She just packed her bags and left.

I didn’t even bother listening to the voice mails. I quickly dialed her number and waited impatiently for her to pick up, but she didn’t. Now I was worried. Why didn’t she tell anyone she was leaving and where is she now? I got up out of my chair and started pacing the room, still trying to get a hold of her. Louis looked at me oddly. 

“What’s wrong Harry?” he asked. 

“Emily is gone”

“What?” Niall asked.

“Something must have happened with Ryan that upset her and when she got home she just packed her bags and left. No one knows where she is, and she’s not answering my calls”

“Alright, let’s just stay calm. She probably just went on a little vacation. I mean, do you honestly blame her? After all that’s happened I think she deserves a little time to herself” Liam said.

“Yeah...You’re probably right...” I said.

I quit trying to call her, but sent her a quick text telling her to call me as soon as she got it. It wasn’t long before Paul came and got us for the interview, and I was forced to push my feelings aside. Before going on, however, I gave him my phone and told him to keep it in case Emily called. Hopefully she would contact me, telling me where she was so I could stop worrying about her.

~.:o:.~ 

The interview went well. I was asked about how Emily was doing and I lied, telling them that she was just fine back home in the UK. They also asked about her birthday party and the day after that when she slapped me across the face for running out into traffic. That story got a few laughs. The boys and I acted like nothing was wrong, but we all knew. I couldn’t help but worry about her through the whole interview and ride back to the hotel. So many scenarios were running through my head, like her just taking a small vacation or even scarier ones where she was kidnapped or stuck somewhere. I didn’t care where she was or who she was with. I just wanted to know that she was okay.

After the concert I just laid on my bed staring at the ceiling and waiting for her to call. My cell phone resting on my chest. I probably should be sleeping because we had another long day tomorrow, but I couldn’t. Not until I knew she was alright. I was jolted out of my thoughts by the sound of someone knocking on the door. 

“Who is it?” I called.

When I got no answer I decided to get up and see for myself. I looked through the peephole to make sure it wasn’t just a crazy fan or someone else, and my eyes widened when I saw who it was. Her brown hair was tied up in a messy ponytail and her eyes looked red like she had been crying. I threw the door open and pulled her inside, then shut the door behind her. My arms immediately wrapped around her and she just broke down in my arms. I talked to her soothingly as she just let it all out. Ryan must have said something horrible to make her like this. I was curious as to what happened, but decided not to ask her about it until she calmed down.

Once she calmed down I lifted her into my arms, then carried her into the bedroom and set her down before laying next to her. I wrapped my arms back around her, telling her that everything would be alright. After what seemed like hours of just laying there I finally gathered up the courage to ask her what happened, and I didn’t like what I heard. She told me about everything, including what happened before with her mother and this Bella girl who was apparently her step-sister. It made me so angry. How could they do this to her? Especially after all she’s been through. 

“I don’t know what I did to make them hate me so much” she said through her tears.

“Hey. You didn’t do anything wrong. Forget them. They’re blind if they can’t see how amazing you are. I’ll figure out a way to help you, don’t worry. In the meantime you should probably call your dad and let him know that you’re alright”

I held out my phone to her and she sighed before taking it and dialing in his number.

“He’s probably gonna yell at me and tell me to come home”

“Then I’ll tell him”

I took the phone from her and held it to my ear. It rang a couple times before he answered.

“Have you found her?”

“Yeah. She’s here with me”

“Thank god. Put her on. I want to speak with her”

Emily gave me a panicked look, but I gave her a reassuring smile.

“She’s asleep right now. I’ll have her call you when she wakes up”

“Alright...Did you find out what was wrong?”

“Yes, but I’ll speak to you about that later. I don’t want to wake her”

Emily leaned over and kissed my cheek.

‘Thank you’ she mouthed. 

“Ok. Oh, and one more thing...Absolutely no funny business with her or I’ll hunt you down”

“I won’t, Sir”

“Good. Remember, call me”

“I will, Sir”

He hung up and I set my phone back on the side table, then turned to say something to Emily but she was fast asleep. I kissed her forehead before pulling her closer to me. I watched her sleep for a while before I felt my eyes start to get heavy. Soon I drifted off into a peaceful sleep. 

~.:o:.~ 

Emily POV 

“There has to be something you can do”

I woke up to the sound of Harry’s voice as he spoke to someone on the phone. I opened my eyes and saw him standing out on the hotel balcony overlooking the city. He seemed really frustrated over whatever the person was saying over the phone. 

“Simon, please. At least listen to her sing....Next week we have a few days off. I can bring her then.....Alright. You won’t be disappointed”

I got up and walked over to him.

“Who were you talking to?” I asked.

He turned around and smiled at me.

“Well, like the awesome boyfriend I am, I got you an audition at Syco. You and I are going to fly there next week when we take a break from the tour”

“What?! Are you serious?!”

“I’m dead serious”

“Oh my god! Thank you!” I threw my arms around him, nearly causing him to fall over.

“I know. I’m amazing. Now can I get something in return?” he asked with a smirk.

I pulled away and raised my eyebrows.  
“That depends...What do you want?” He grinned and pointed to his lips. 

I rolled my eyes, then pressed my lips to his. He pulled me closer, tongue sliding across my bottom lip to ask for entrance. I decided to tease him for a bit and kept my mouth closed. He let out a growl of frustration and suddenly grabbed onto my butt. I gasped and he took the chance to slip his tongue into my mouth. The cheater.

“HARRY EDWARD STYLES! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!” 

We both turned to see Louis standing on the balcony beside us, a shocked look on his face. His face turned to relief when he saw me. 

“Oh, Emily. Thank god. I thought Harry was cheating with some other chick. I was going to come over and kick his ass”  
“Hey!” Harry said.

“Aw. Lou! If you were over here I’d hug you”  
“Well okay”

He started to climb up on the balcony like he was going to jump over.

“LOUIS TOMLINSON DON’T YOU DARE!” I yelled.

“But...”

“No! I’ll come over there”

“Okay!” I walked back into the hotel room, hearing Harry say something to Louis about ruining the moment. I smiled to myself then went over to Louis’ room and knocked on the door. I heard him running towards the door, then a thump, followed by more running. A second later he opened the door and I laughed. 

“Did you just trip?”

“Psh...No....Okay, yes. Yes, I did. Now give me a hug!” I laughed and hugged him.

“I missed you!”

“Lou, it’s only been a day”

“So?! I can’t go a minute without you! We’re going to get married and fly off on our   
magic carrot and having carrot babies in our carrot kingdom!”

“I don’t think so.” Harry said as he pulled me into his arms. “If anyone is marrying her it’s me”

“Hey! It’s Emily!” Zayn’s voice said from further down the hallway, Liam by his side.

“Hi, Zayn! Hi, Liam!”

“Hey. What are you doing here?” Zayn asked.

“Well...” I trailed off, not really wanting to talk about it.

“She just missed me so much that she decided to spend an extra few weeks with me” Harry answered for me.

“Hey! What about us? Didn’t you miss us?” Liam said with a pout.

“Of course I did, Liam. Harry just thinks he’s my favorite”

“Ha!” Liam said to Harry.

“After all I did for you! I can’t believe this!” Harry turned away, crossing his arms, and pretended to be mad. I smiled and wrapped my arms around his waist. 

“I love you, Hazza”  
I gave him my best innocent face, and the corners of his lips twitched as he held back his smile. Well, since Plan A didn’t work I guess it’s time for Plan B. I moved my hands to his sides and easily found his ticklish spot. He burst out laughing and wriggled out of my arms. A triumphant grin made its way across my face. 

“You cheater”

“Oh, I’m the cheater? What was that out on the balcony, huh?”

“What? You were being a tease!”

“So that gives you free access to my ass then?”

“AHH!! MY MIND!!” Niall yelled.

He had appeared somewhere during our little banter session and had completely gotten the wrong idea. It took me a moment to figure out what he was freaking out about, and when I did my face turned beat red. 

“OH MY GOD, NO! That’s not what I was talking about!” The boys burst out laughing, thinking it was the most hilarious thing they had ever heard.

“Shut up!”

“We’re just teasing, love. Come on, let’s go to breakfast” Harry said.

“FOOD!” Niall and I yelled at the same time.

We looked at each other and laughed.

“To the dining room!” I said in a heroic sounding voice.

“AWAAAYYY!” Niall said as he ran down the hall.

I ran after him, leaving the boys in a fit of laughter. Niall ran past a room without any problems, but when I did I ended up running straight into none other than Paul Higgins. I landed on the floor with a thump.

“Emily?” he asked.

“Holy crap Paul! I feel like I ran into a rock!” He chuckled and pulled me to my feet.

“What are you doing here?”

“I needed a break from home. I can leave if it’s going to be a hassle for you”

“No! No! Of course not! You’re like a daughter to me, and Harry loves having you around. You’re welcome anytime”

I smiled and gave him a hug.

“Thanks, Paul”

“Emily! You alright?!” Harry asked worriedly as he ran up with the other three boys.

“Yeah, I’m fine”

“Okay, good, because you just plowed into him and it looked like it hurt”

“Psh. I’ll be alright. I’ve been through worse. Anyways, we better get down to Niall before he eats the whole place”


	19. Chapter 19

I sat in a taxi beside Harry, my nerves beginning to set in. We landed in London an hour ago and are now on our way to meet up with Simon at Syco Records. I couldn’t be more nervous than I was in that moment. What if he didn’t like my singing? What if I blow my last chance at having a music career? I was snapped out of my thoughts by Harry gently shaking my arm. 

“We’re here” he said.

“Oh, great...” I said as we got out.

“You’ll do fine. Simon will love you” Harry said reassuringly.

His hand slid into mine and he brought my knuckles to his lips to kiss them. I smiled at him and felt myself calm down slightly. Oh what he could do to me with such small actions of affection. We walked into the building and I wandered around the waiting room while Harry spoke with the receptionist. I glanced at the pictures on the wall, seeing all of the artists that Syco produced and their achievements. One in particular caught my eye. It was the One Direction platinum album plaque. I couldn’t help but smile at it. 

“Those boys are the best thing I ever did” A british voice said from behind me.

I spun around to come face to face with Simon Cowell himself. He smiled warmly at me.

“Let’s hope you’ll be the same. You must be, Emily”

“Yep. That’s me” I said as I shook his hand.

“Hey, Simon” Harry said as he walked up.

“Hello, Harry. Did you two have a nice flight?”

“Yeah. Thanks for asking. I could do without the jet-lag though” I said.

Simon chuckled.

“That’s always a killer. Well, let’s get going shall we? I’m going to have you come into the recording studio. Follow me”

We followed him down the hallway and into one of the rooms. Once we walked in I noticed that it was one of those large rooms that a band would play in to record the instrumentals. One like Abbey Road. It was filled with any instrument you could think of. A piano, guitars, drums, ect.

“Well, choose which one you’d like to perform with and get yourself ready. Take your time. I’ll wait in the other room” Simon said as he walked out of the room.

Harry walked over to me and put his hands on my shoulders.

“You ready?”

I took a deep breath and nodded.

“Yeah. I think so”

“Just be yourself. Pretend that we’re not listening and just have fun. You’ll do great. I’ll be right in the other room if you need me”

He kissed my forehead, then left me alone in the room. I made my way over to the piano and sat down, running my fingers along the keys. I took a deep breath and began to play. 

~.:o:.~ 

“Now I am invincible  
No, I ain't a scared little girl no more  
Yeah, I am invincible  
What was I running for  
I was hiding from the world  
I was so afraid, I felt so unsure  
Now I am invincible another perfect storm"

Harry POV

Simon and I watched her from the recording booth as she sang the song that she wrote a few days ago. It was amazing. She sang with so much emotion and passion that she made you feel what she was feeling. Both of us were completely captivated by her until she finished the song.

“That was incredible” Simon said.

“I know” I said with a smile. “I’ll go get her”

I walked into the other room and brought Emily back into the studio with Simon. She looked nervous as hell, but I kept my hand in hers and gave her a reassuring squeeze. 

“Emily, I’m going to be completely honest with you because I know you can take it” Simon started.

Emily tensed beside me, thinking that he was going to say something bad. Simon, being Simon, loved to drag it out and make it sound like he hated it, which was what he was doing now. 

“I didn’t like the performance.....I loved it. You have such an amazing voice and the way you sing is incredible”

“Really? Thank you!” She said excitedly.

“That song you sang. It was an original that you wrote, correct?”

“Yes. I actually just wrote it that day Harry called you”  
“Really? Well, I think it’s got great potential to be a mega hit. I’d love to have you come in and record it”

“Wait...Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” she asked.  
“Yes. I want to sign you to Syco Records”

“Oh my god! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!” she yelled giving him a giant hug.

Simon chuckled and awkwardly patted her back. I laughed and smiled at her as she quickly pulled back after realizing what she did.

“I’m sorry” she said with a blush.

 

“Don’t worry about it. So, I would really like you to start as soon as possible. Is Monday good for you?”

“Yeah. Monday is great”

“Perfect. In the meantime I’ll find you an apartment to stay in while you’re recording here in London”

“That won’t be necessary. She can stay at my apartment. I’d feel better with her there anyways. I can ask the neighbors to look after her” I said.

Emily gave me an odd look.

“What?”

“You’re talking like I’m a child who needs looking after. Or have you forgotten my quick reflexes already?” My hand subconsciously covered my manhood at the painful memory. I snuck up on her once and she kneed me in the balls. Never again will I attempt to sneak up on her. 

“I don’t want to know” Simon commented.

“No. You probably don’t. Anyways, thank you again, Simon. You have no idea how   
much this means to me” Emily said to him.

“My pleasure. Now off with you. I’m late for a meeting” 

~.:o:.~ 

Emily’s POV

The second we got back to the hotel I let out the scream I was holding in. Harry jumped at my sudden outburst and I giggled. 

“I can’t believe this! Simon Cowell signed me! I’m so happy right now”

“I see that” Harry said with a laugh.

I turned to him and smiled.

“It’s all thanks to you. I honestly don’t know what I’d do without you, Harry. You’re always there for me and you’ve helped me through so much this past year. I don’t know how I’m ever going to repay you for this”

Harry smiled at me, then pulled me close to him.

“All you have to do is breathe. That is more than enough”

“You’re so cheesy”

“You know you love it”  
Instead of answering him, I pressed my lips to his in a passionate kiss. He immediately responded, his lips moving in sync with mine as his hands slipped up the back of my shirt. The feeling of his cold fingers brushing lightly against my skin sent shivers down my spine. The next thing I knew I was lifted up into his arms bridal style. I giggled and he continued to kiss me as he carried me into the couch. He set me down then moved so his body was hovering over mine, all without breaking the kiss. His tongue slid into my mouth, exploring every inch of it as we fought for dominance, our breath becoming heavy. He pulled away to move down to my neck and left love bites as he moved across my collarbone to the other side. I bit my lip to hold back a moan. My whole body tingled wherever he touched me, causing butterflies to explode in my stomach. His lips moved back to mine, but pulled away after a few seconds, a serious look on his face. 

“Why did you stop?” I asked with a pout.  
“I wanted to ask you something...”

“Ok? What’s on your mind?”

“How would you feel...about meeting my family?

I stared at him for a long moment. Meeting his family was a big step. Sure, he has met mine already, but it was different now that it was myself that had to make a good impression. What if they didn’t like me? Would Harry break up with me? So many questions ran through my head, but then I saw the look on his face. He was serious about this. About us. 

“Like your mum, and Gemma?”

“Yeah. My step dad, too. They all really want to meet you and I thought that since we’re already in the UK we could go visit them, but if you’re not ready yet-”

“No. No. I want to meet them. I’m ready”

“Great! I’ll go call my mum”

He got up and went to get his phone, but paused and turned back to give me a kiss.

“I love you” he said before walking off to talk to his mum.

I smiled at him as he spoke excitedly over the phone. Now it was my turn to make him happy. Starting with meeting the family. 

~.:o:.~ 

“Harry, what if they don’t like me?” I asked as we turned down Harry’s street in Holmes Chapel.

“Emily, they love you already and you haven’t even met them yet. Trust me, you’ll be fine” he said with a laugh. “Just be yourself”

“Be me? Harry, we both know that I’m really awkward and I say weird things, especially under pressure! Myself isn’t exactly normal”  
“Neither am I, and honestly I love that you’re not normal. Normal is boring” 

We pulled into the driveway to his parents’ house and as soon as we got out of the car the front door opened and a very beautiful brown haired woman came out. 

‘This must be Anne’ I thought. I expected her to run up to Harry, but instead she ran over and hugged me. 

“You must be Emily! I’m so glad to finally meet you! I’m Anne” she said.  
“Nice to meet you, too” I said politely.

She smiled and pulled away to look at me.  
“My goodness, you’re even more beautiful than Harry described over the phone. He talks about you every time he calls. I swear, I can’t get him to shut up about you”

“Mum!” Harry said with a blush.

I giggled.

“Oh really? You’ll have to tell me more about that” I said.

“I can do you one better. You should see his baby pictures”

“NO! Mum, we just got here! Can we please not embarrass me until later? Preferably not at all” Harry said.

“Alright, alright. Now come here”

I smiled as she pulled him into a bear hug. I found it absolutely adorable that he was so close to his mum. He kissed her cheek, then pulled away. 

“Alright, you bring the bags in and I’ll show Emily around” She said before pulling me towards the house.

I looked back and shot Harry a scared look. He laughed before heading back to the car to get our bags. Anne led me into the house where I was greeted by a man who I assumed was her husband. 

“Emily, this is my husband, Robin. Robin, this is Harry’s girlfriend, Emily” Anne said.

“Pleasure to meet you” I said politely shaking his hand.

“Likewise. We’ve heard a lot about you from Harry” Robin said.

“Alright! We get it! I talk about her a lot. Can we move on please?!” Harry exclaimed as he carried our bags in.

I stifled a laugh. It was so adorable that he was embarrassed about it when he really had no reason to be. I smiled and walked over to give him a kiss on the cheek. 

“Don’t feel embarrassed. I’m sure I do the same thing”  
“Oh yeah. Jenna and Matt have told me quite a lot. ‘Harry is the greatest. He’s so adorable and cute! He’s the best kisser’” he said in a high-pitched voice.

Now it was my turn to blush. I smacked his arm and he laughed.

“Jerk”

“I love you, too”  
He gave me a kiss on the temple and a small smile formed on my lips. Damn him and his cuteness. It’s so hard to be mad at him. I then remembered that his parents were watching us and blushed again. They smiled. 

“Harry, why don’t you show Emily up to your room so you both can freshen up before dinner” Anne said.  
“Alright. Come on, Emily”

Harry picked up our bags again, then walked up the stairs of the house with me right behind him. As we walked up the stairs I heard Anne say something to Robin. 

“They’re so adorable. I love her already”

I smiled to myself. I’ve only been here for five minutes and his mum already loves me. Now I just have to win over his sister. Hopefully it’ll be just as easy. I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t notice that Harry had stopped right in front of me. I ran into his back and he chuckled. 

“You alright?”

“Yeah. I’m fine”

“Well, here we are”

He opened the door, then stepped aside and allowed me to walk inside first. I looked around the room and smiled. It was so...Harry. The walls were a blue color and his walls were covered with posters of his favorite bands...and a swimsuit model. Harry caught me looking and he quickly ran over and tore it down, then threw it in the trash. I smirked at him.

Harry’s POV

I let her explore my room for a few minutes while I took in memories myself. It was just as I had left it. I guess Mum and Robin haven’t thought of anything else to turn it into even though I’ve been out of the house for a year. Then again, I did come visit quite often. I turned my attention back to Emily and found her grinning at the swimsuit model poster I had on my wall. I quickly ran over and tore it off my wall, then threw it in the trash bin. 

“Heh...Forgot to throw that...” I said with a nervous laugh.

“I don’t blame you. She’s hot” Emily replied with a smirk.

A wide grin formed on my lips as I watched her look around the room some more. God I love her. She always had some sort of comeback or comment to shoot back at you. I also love the fact that I can purposefully pick a fight with her and she’ll argue back without getting mad at me. She noticed me smiling at her and her eyebrows rose. 

“What?”  
“Nothing. Come on, let’s go back downstairs”  
I took her hand in mine and gave her a quick kiss on the lips before we made our way back down the stairs for dinner.


	20. Chapter 20

When we got downstairs Harry automatically wandered off towards the living room where he heard Robin watching a football game on tv. I rolled my eyes. Typical males. Instead of following him, I made my way into the kitchen where I knew Anne would be. When I walked in I noticed another girl was there. She had brown hair and eyes, and looked just like Anne. ‘Gemma’ I thought. 

“Um, can I help with anything?” I asked.

Anne and Gemma looked up at me and smiled.

“You can if you want to” Anne said.

“Of course. Plus I don’t want to sit in the living room while the boys watch football”

Anne laughed.

“Good idea. Emily, this is my daughter, Gemma” she introduced.

“Hi! Nice to finally meet you!” Gemma said giving me a hug.

“Likewise. I absolutely love the way you did your hair” I commented.

I was being honest when I said that. I really did love her hair. It was perfectly wavy and framed her face. 

“Thanks. I’ll have to teach you how to do it sometime”

“I’d love that” I smiled back at her.

“Alright, let’s get back to cooking or this will never get done. Emily, could you please cut these for me?” Anne asked as she pointed to some vegetables.

“Sure”

I washed my hands, then started cutting it the way she told me to. We started up a random conversation about my career and how it was going, but it somehow ended in us telling embarrassing stories about Harry. We were all laughing and I was crying because the smell from the onion I was cutting stung my eyes. 

“What’s going on here?” Harry asked from behind me.

I jumped at his sudden appearance and accidentally cut my finger. I winced and quickly pulled it back so I wouldn’t get any blood on the food. 

“What’s wrong?” Anne asked.

“Cut my finger. Do you have a first aid kit?”

“Yeah. It’s in the bathroom. First door on your left”

“Thanks”

I turned around to go find it, but ran into Harry. He gently took my hand in his and examined the cut, while I just looked at his face. I pictured him, six years old, running around in his mother’s bra, underwear on his head, and a bed sheet tied around his neck like a cape. I started laughing and he looked up at me with a confused look.

“What’s so funny?” he asked.

“Nothing” I said as I tried to hold in my laughter.

Anne and Gemma both grinned, knowing exactly why I was laughing. Harry eyed them suspiciously.

“What did you tell her?” he asked.

“They didn’t tell me anything....Captain Boobie Pants” I said.

His face immediately turned red.

“MUM! You promised you wouldn’t tell her that!”

“I didn’t...Gemma did” she said innocently.

Harry glared at his sister as she smiled innocently at him.

“You’ll get it later” he told her before taking my hand and leading me down the hallway to the bathroom.

I hopped up on the counter while he got the first aid kit from the cupboard. He focused his attention on the cut, but mine was on his face. His curls covered his face slightly as he silently worked on my finger. I winced as he put some disinfectant on it. 

“Sorry”

He put a band-aid on it then brought it up to his lips and gave it a soft kiss.

“There. All better” he said with a smile. “So, you seem to be getting along just fine with my mum and sister”

“Yeah. They’re great. Your sister is hilarious”

“Yeah. So funny” he muttered.

“I won’t tell anyone. I promise”

“No, you won’t, because if you do then you’ll be punished”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yes!” He grinned and tickled my sides causing me to burst out laughing.

“Okay! Okay! I get it! I won’t tell!” He chuckled and stopped tickling me so I could calm down. I locked eyes with him, immediately feeling the urge to kiss him. He must have felt the same way because his lips met mine a moment later. I quickly responded, moving my lips in sync with his as I ran my fingers through his hair. A tingling sensation ran throughout my body, just like it did every other time we kissed. It just felt so right. The kiss ended a little too short for my taste, but I didn’t complain due to the fact that his parents were just down the hall. Harry stared back at me with a thoughtful look on his face. He reached his hand up and placed it on the side of my face then began caressing my cheek with his thumb. 

“Thank you for doing this. You have no idea how much this means to me”  
I smiled back at him.

“I’d do anything for you, Harry”  
“Anything?” he asked with a smirk. 

He dropped his other hand to my leg, then slowly slid it up my thigh. I pushed him back, hopped off the counter, then stepped forwards until he was against the wall. I ran my hands up his chest, leaning in as I did so, and left a trail of soft kisses from his neck, down his jaw, then to his lips. He moaned softly as I bit down on his bottom lip and grabbed my waist, pulling me closer and deepening the kiss. I moved my hands up to his hair and tugged gently so I could pull away. I smirked and pushed away from him. 

“Nope. I lied” I said before walking back to the kitchen.

~.:o:.~

Harry’s POV

I watched her go back to the kitchen, adding a little extra sway to her hips to tease me even more. That girl will be the death of me. I cleaned up in the bathroom before walking out into the dining area where everyone was waiting. I took the only open seat, right next to Emily. Gemma sat across from us with my mum and stepdad on the sides. 

"It's about time you showed up. Have a little problem in the bathroom?" Gemma asked.

I looked over at Emily who was trying hard not to smile.

"No. No, I was just cleaning up the mess I made with the first aid kit" I replied, turning my attention back to Gemma.

"Alright. Let's dig in" Mum said with a smile.

~.:o:.~

"-and then he said 'I'm looking for the remote'" Robin said.

Emily burst out laughing along with everyone else at the table. Robin had just finished telling the story of how he caught me in bed with a girl and I gave him the lame excuse that I was just looking for the TV remote. I was nervous about him telling Emily at first, but I relaxed as soon as she started laughing. I guess I should have known better than to get worried. Emily never lets that sort of thing get to her anymore. When we first met she always got uncomfortable when girls flirted with me, because she thought that I was going to leave her for someone better than her. I never did understand how a girl's mind worked like that. Especially hers. She's beautiful, talented, funny, smart, and kind. There isn't anyone better than her. She's everything that I could ever ask for in a girl. She understands me like no one else can and is the only one who can make me feel truly happy.  
She comforts me when I'm sad and makes me laugh until I completely forget about what made me upset. She isn't too clingy, and doesn't care if I spend time out with the boys. She's just perfect. Everything I could ever dream of.

As I watched her interact with my family I felt like she had been with us forever. She was one of us. I know it's probably too soon to be thinking about marriage or kids, but I couldn't help picturing what it would be like to call her my wife. For her to be a mother to my children. To be a part of our family.

In that moment I realized something. Even though I've only known her for a year in a half I've never felt so in love with someone before in my life. She's the one. It's really cliche, I know, but completely true. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with this girl. To love her. To care for her. It would be a few years yet before I would consider doing it, but when the time came...I would ask her to marry me. 

"You okay, Harry?" I turned to find Emily looking at me with a concerned look on her face. I reached over and took her hand that was resting on her leg into mine, intertwining our fingers together. I brought her knuckles to my lips and kissed them softly then smiled warmly at her. 

"Yeah. I'm great"

She smiled back at me, our eyes locking for a long moment. We hadn't realized that we were being watched until we heard the sound of a camera shutter. We turned to see Gemma holding her cell phone up at us. 

"Sorry, couldn't resist" she said.

Emily blushed and I kissed her cheek, then let go of her hand so I could place my arm around the back of her chair. I absentmindedly began to play with her hair, something I always found myself doing. It’s actually quite funny since she has the same problem with my hair. 

"So, do you two have any plans tomorrow?" Mum asked.

"Uh, I don’t know. We haven’t really planned anything yet. Why?”

“I was thinking that maybe Gemma and I could steal Emily away for the afternoon, then meet you boys at the pub for supper”

“Well, I guess it’s up to Emily” I said turning to look at the girl beside me. “What do you say babe?”

“Sure. I’d love to” she said with a smile.  
“Great! We’ll leave in an hour”

Emily’s POV

It’s official. I absolutely love Harry’s mum. She’s the sweetest woman ever, yet has a childish side. Her husband, Robin, was great as well. He was a joker who loved to pick on Harry, but knew to stop when he was going too far. Then there was Gemma, who reminded me so much of my brother that it was scary. Both loved to be goofy and pick on their younger siblings, yet had a serious side and were protective. The two of them would get along great if they ever met. All in all the family was amazing.

After breakfast the next morning Harry and I went back up to his room to rest for a while before I went out with Gemma and Anne. We laid on the bed wrapped in each other’s arms as we stared off into space. Harry played with my hair while singing Little Things softly to himself. My heart always melted when I heard that song. It was so beautiful and the fact that Harry wrote it for me was amazing. I listened to him for a while before I remembered that we were leaving tomorrow, and would once again be separated. 

“Tomorrow is our last day together before you go off to finish your tour” I said softly.

“Yeah...It’s only a few more weeks though. You know, I’ve been thinking. Since Simon is signing you, you’re going to have to move closer to London to get to the studio. There’s no way you could drive three hours there and back every day. I was thinking   
that...maybe you and I could get a place together”

I sat up so I could look at him. He stared back at me, waiting for me to say something back. The serious look on his face told me that he was completely up for the idea, but was I ready to make that sort of commitment? I mean, moving in together is a big step in a relationship. Especially one that has only been going on for a little over a year. 

“What about Louis? You guys have always lived in the same building.” I asked once I finally found my voice.

“I don't think he’d mind. Besides, I’m not sixteen anymore. I was going to move out anyway, and I thought that since you would have to move to London that you would be up for the idea”  
“I don’t know, Harry. I mean...this is a big step for us. What if for some impossible reason we don’t work out? I’m not saying we will break up, I just....” I was interrupted by Gemma knocking on the door.  
“You kids decent?” she asked.

“Yes” Harry said as he rolled his eyes.

She opened the door and smiled at us.

“I’m not interrupting anything am I?” she asked.

“No, it’s nothing” Harry muttered.

“Alright, well, we’re leaving now, Emily”

“Okay, I’ll be down in a minute”

She nodded then closed the door, leaving us alone once again. I sighed and turned to Harry.

“I better go. Can we talk about this later? I just need some time to think about it”

“Yeah. Take all the time you need. I don’t want you to feel like I’m rushing you into this. Now come here and give me a kiss before you go!” I giggled as he pulled me down on top of him. I pressed my lips to his, letting them linger there for a few extra moments before making an attempt to get away. It failed, however, because Harry had his arms locked securely around my waist so I couldn’t move. 

“Harry, let me go. You’re mum and sister are waiting”

“Can’t you just stay here?”  
“No. I promised them I’d go with”

I wriggled in his arms, but only managed to turn myself around so my back was against him. He buried his face into my neck and kissed it softly. 

“Please” he murmured against my skin.  
I fought the shiver that wanted to run down my spine and moved as far away as possible.

“No, Harry”

“But Emily” he whined like a child, giving me his best puppy-dog face. I rolled my eyes.

“Harry Edward Styles if you don’t release me this second I’m going to tell all your fans on Twitter your most embarrassing secrets”

“You wouldn’t...” he said with a serious look on his face.

“Try me”

He stared at me for a moment, wondering if I was actually serious about it. He must have decided that I was because a moment later I was released from his arms. I got up and grinned at him. 

“I’ll see you later” I said before walking out the door.

“Have fun!” he called after me.

I walked to the front door to find Gemma and Anne waiting for me.

“Sorry about that. Harry was being a weirdo and wouldn’t let me leave”

They laughed.  
“It’s alright. Let’s get going then”


	21. Chapter 21

Harry’s POV

After Emily left I went into the living room to watch the game with Robin, but ended up staring blankly at the tv while I thought about her reaction to my question. I figured that she would just say ‘yes’ and we’d be happy, but she did have a point. Were we actually ready for that sort of commitment? I know I love her and I want to be with her, but maybe I was rushing things a bit too much. Not to mention the fact that she most likely wouldn’t be around much anyway due to work, and when she was home she would be too tired to do anything. I was snapped out of my thoughts by a hand waving in front of my face. I blinked and turned to see Robin looking at me with a concerned expression. 

“You alright?” he asked.

“I’m fine. Just thinking”

“Alright....Emily seems like a nice girl”

“Yeah..She’s great”

I gave him a small smile and he seemed to see right through it.

“You know, you can talk to me about whatever you’re thinking about...You two didn’t have unprotected sex did you?”

“What?! Oh god no. We haven’t been unprotected. It’s just...Before she left I asked her if she wanted to get an apartment together, since she was moving to London to work on her new album and I was getting a new place anyway”

“I see...And what did she say?”

“She thinks it’s too soon for it, and now I’m thinking the same thing”

“Well, it all depends on whether or not you two think you’re ready for it. It’s a big step, but you obviously love this girl a lot since you risked your life for her. Just let her know that you’ll understand if she doesn’t want to take that step yet”

“Alright. Thanks”

“No problem”

He ruffled my hair a bit and I gave him a playful glare before fixing it. After speaking to him about it I finally managed to calm down and enjoy the game.

~.:o:.~

A few hours later robin drove us to a nearby pub where we were going to meet the girls and some friends. I walked in to find Emily already there, talking to some of my friends from school. I walked over and put my arm around her waist. 

“Hey, babe” I said giving her a kiss.

“Hey, Harry. You and Robin have fun sitting on your asses watching tv all day?”

“Yeah, it was great” I said with a laugh.

I turned to the guys and smiled.

“How are you guys doing? I haven’t seen you in a while”

“We’re great, man. Just getting to know your lovely girlfriend, Emily” Trevor said.

Trevor smiled at her in a way that made both me and her uncomfortable, but I quickly pushed it aside. He was my best friend. There’s no way he’d ever make a move on her, and even if he did Emily would throw him on his ass. I smiled at the thought. 

“What are you smiling about?” Emily asked me.

“Nothing. Let’s go get a drink” I turned to the guys. “I’ll be back in a bit”

“Bye, Emily” they called.

“Bye” she called back.

We got to the bar and she let out a relieved sigh.

“Your friends are nice, except Trevor was a little too flirty for my taste”

“Yeah. He always does that to my girlfriends. Don’t worry about him though. He knows that if he tries anything with you I’ll kick his ass”

Emily let out a giggle and I smiled.

“So what did you do on your girls day out?”

“You know, girl stuff. Shopping, spa, mani-pedis, gossip”

“They didn’t tell you anything else embarrassing about me did they?” A smirk made its way across her lips.

“Maybe...Maybe not”

“You’re not going to give me a definite answer are you..”

“Nope”

I chuckled and shook my head. I should have known that she wouldn’t tell me. Knowing Gemma, she probably knows every embarrassing thing that has ever happened to me in my whole life time. I made a mental note to get back at her for that in the future. 

“Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. Niall said that you guys have an interview an hour after you land back in the states”

“Wait, he’s here in England?”

“No, he called me to ask how things went with Simon”

I couldn’t help but feel a slight pang of jealousy. Niall was always calling her up or texting her. I know I shouldn’t be bothered by it, but I just can’t help it. 

“That was nice of him to ask about it. You remember who got you the audition right?”

Emily burst out laughing.

“Harry you don’t have to be jealous of Niall”

“I’m not jealous!”  
“You so are. I know you, Harry, and you.are.jealous” she poked my chest after each word for added effect. 

“But, you shouldn’t be. Because you are the one I’m in love with. Not him”  
I smiled and pulled her into a kiss.

“I love you” I muttered against her lips.

“I love you, too. Now let’s go back and join the party”

“Do we have to” I asked with a pout.

She giggled and tugged on my arm.

“Yes, now come on”

~.:o:.~

Emily’s POV

For the rest of the night Harry introduced me to all of his friends and neighbors who showed up at the pub. All of them were super nice and seemed like great people to be around. By the end of the day we were both exhausted, and a little drunk. I only had about three drinks....I think. I probably had more, but who knows. Harry and I took a cab back to the house since we had to get up early in the morning so he could catch his flight back to the states, but everyone else decided to stay for a bit longer.

We walked into Harry’s room and I pulled off my clothes leaving me in a bra and underwear, not caring that Harry was in the room with me. I went to grab my pajamas, but was stopped by his arms wrapping around my waist. The feeling of his hot breath on the back of my neck sent shivers down my spine. He moved my hair out of the way, lightly trailing his fingers over my skin before pressing his lips to my neck. 

“Harry” I breathed out shakily.

“Hmm?”

“I don't think this is a good idea...”

“Why not?” He started leaving soft kisses around my neck until he finally found my weak spot. I bit my lip to keep myself from making any unwanted noises. 

“Because we’re both drunk...and we don’t want to do anything we’ll regret in the morning”

“Who says we’re going to regret it?”

“Harry...”

He let out a deep sigh then placed one last kiss on my shoulder. He let me go and took off all of his clothes except for his boxers while I slipped on my shorts and tshirt that I used as pajamas.  
“Fine. You’ll give in eventually.”

“We’ll see about that”

“Don’t tempt me girly” he said as he climbed into the bed.

I smiled and crawled under the covers so we were facing each other. His strong arms wrapped around me and pulled me closer to his chest. 

“Night” he mumbled tiredly.

“Harry?”

“What?”

“I love you”

He peeked his eyes opened and gave me a sweet kiss on the forehead.

“I love you, too”

~.:o:.~ 

“Well, that’s the last of it” Harry said as he packed his Audi with our bags.

“I wish you two could stay longer” Anne said before pulling me into a hug.

“Me too. It was so great meeting you, and thank you so much for taking me out yesterday. It was really fun”

“Oh, you’re welcome. You can come back whenever you like”

“I definitely will”

I hugged her, then moved on to Gemma and lastly Robin. I let out a laugh as I felt my feet leave the ground when he hugged me. 

“Alright, we really have to go now” Harry said.

Robin put me down and I pouted.

“Gee Harry, way to be a fun killer” 

“Sorry, love. We’ll come back soon. I promise” he said to both me and his family.

We said our goodbyes then climbed into his car before finally hitting the road. We drove in a comfortable silence for a while with the music playing in the background. I stared out the window at the the city as we drove past and smiled. I could just picture myself ten years from now living in a house in a neighborhood like this. Everyone was so friendly and inviting. It was almost like those movies where it’s the perfect place to live. 

“Emily!” Harry said snapping me out of my thoughts.

“Huh? What?” Harry chuckled.

“I’ve been trying to get your attention for that past five minutes”

“Sorry. I was spacing out”

“Obviously”  
“Oh shut up”  
I smacked his arm and we both laughed.  
“So what were you thinking about?”

“The future...Where I’d be in ten years”

“Well that’s easy. You will be my lovely wife and we will live in a beautiful house on the beach with twenty kids!”

“Twenty? Ha! I don’t think so. Two at most. There’s no way I’m pushing out twenty kids. Hell no”

Harry burst out laughing.

“Ok. Two then. Unless they’re both boys. Then we got to have more until we get a girl”

“You really want a girl don’t you?”

“Yes”

“Does a certain one year old fashionista baby named Lux have anything to do with that decision?”

“No actually. I’ve always wanted to have a baby girl. I don’t know. I can’t exactly explain it”

I smiled at him.

“Well, whether it's a boy or a girl I think you’d be an amazing dad”

“Thank you” he replied with a smile. “You’d be a great mum. I think you’d be like one of those mums who is super cool and everyone loves”

“Like the boys when it comes to your mum?” Harry frowned and I couldn’t help but laugh. The boys always teased Harry about them fancying his mum and how hot they thought she was. It was hilarious because he was such a mummy’s boy. “Lou is the worst when it comes to that”

“They’re just teasing you, Haz. I don’t really blame them either. Your mum is amazing”

“Yeah. She is” he said with a smile. “They all loved you by the way. They wouldn’t shut up about you this morning. I’m pretty sure my mum is planning our wedding already”

I let out a laugh.

“You’re mum is awesome”

“Well, I’m glad you two get along”

We smiled at each other and then fell into a comfortable silence until a familiar song came on the radio. A huge grin formed on my lips before I started screaming out the lyrics. 

“YOU’RE INSECURE! DON’T KNOW WHAT FOR!” 

Harry laughed and joined in as we jammed out to the song. The people next to us probably thought we were having seizures or something because of the way we were dancing. Neither of us cared. We were living in the moment, and right now...the moment was great.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE COMMENT WHAT YOU THINK SO FAR. I will be posting the rest of the story as well as the sequel today and tomorrow.

“Alright, Emily, that was great. Let’s just run through the harmony one more time” Max, the audio guy, said into his microphone from inside the control room.

I’ve been working on my new album with Syco for the past week now and it’s been a blast. Simon and Max were such great guys and quickly became like my uncles. They understood what I wanted and let me have a say in how it would sound. It felt amazing to be in the studio again making music that I hoped people would like.

This album would be different from my last one. It had less rock and more ballads and meaning to the songs. Most of them I wrote about my relationship with Harry and what he meant to me. A couple others were just fun songs about friendship. One in particular I wrote with Jenna about the bandmates and the boys called ‘Oath’ that she sang with me on. I had a feeling that it would end up being our favorite song to perform real quick. 

“Alright that was perfect. Let’s call it a day” Max said.

“Ok”

I walked out of the recording booth and said goodbye to Max before heading out of the building. I was met by some fans who were waiting outside for an autographs and pictures. 

“Hey guys” I greeted as I walked up to them.

“Hi, Emily!” A girl with red hair said. “Could you sign this please?”  
“Sure”

I took the paper and pen from her and quickly signed it before handing it back to her.

“Thank you so much!”

“You’re welcome. So how are you girls today?”

“Great! Do you know when the boys are coming back?” A blonde girl asked.

“Well, I know for a fact that Harry is flying back right after the concert, but I’m not sure about the other boys. I’m sure you’ll find out soon though”

“Ok, thanks”

“Emily could you please follow me on Twitter?” A pretty brunette asked me.

“Yeah. I’ll follow all of you if you want”

They gave me their twitters and I followed each of them before deciding that it was time to leave.

“It was nice to meet you all. I’ll make sure to ask the boys to follow you as well”

“Thank you, Emily!” They chorused.

I smiled and gave them a wave then got in Harry’s Audi which he let me drive while he was away. I honestly don’t think I can give it back to him now that I’ve been driving it for so long. Maybe I should get one of my own once the new album is out. Or maybe a classic muscle car like I’ve always wanted. A black ‘71 Chevelle SS with chrome hood and boot stripes and a chrome roof. Just the thought of such a car gave me the chills. Yeah...I’m weird like that when it comes to cars.

I drove to Jenna and Jason’s apartment where she and Zoe were waiting. The three of us were going to meet Sofia, Eleanor, and Perrie for a girls day before the boys got back from the tour. After that I’m sure none of us will be seeing each other for a while because we’ll be so busy with our boyfriends. Well, Zoe and Niall aren’t exactly going out, but I’m pretty sure it won’t be long before they are. I mean the two of them practically text 24/7 and are always talking on Skype or via cell phone. It was so cute. I’m glad we put them together the night of my birthday. Both of them deserved each other and would be absolutely adorable as a couple.

I pulled up to the apartment building to find the two of them waiting outside for me. They hopped in the car and we took off to the mall.

~.:o:.~

“He asked you to move in with him?!” Zoe exclaimed.

“What did you say?” Perrie asked.

“Well, I didn’t really get a chance to say anything because Gemma and Anne took me out”

“So....Are you?” Sofia asked.

Everyone turned to me as they waited for me to answer.

“I don’t know....I guess I'm still a little scared that we won't work out and that this is a dream I'll eventually wake up from.”

"Emily we all know that boy is head over heels for you and he would never just leave you like that." Sofia assured me.  
“If he proposes you better say yes” Jenna said.  
I blushed and looked down at my drink.

“Guys I think it’s a little too soon to be thinking about that”

“Whatever. I think that you guys should just move in together. I mean, you usually stay with him anyways” Perrie said.

“That’s true. Maybe you two will get it on and make cute babies.” Jenna added with a perverted grin.

“Jenna! God, you are such a perv!”

“I’m just saying...”

“So, Zoe, I hear you’ve been talking to Niall quite a bit. Are you two going out yet?” I asked, trying to change the subject.

Zoe blushed like crazy and smiled.

“Yeah we’ve been talking, but he hasn’t asked me out yet” she replied.

“Maybe you should ask him out. I mean, he can be really shy. Especially around girls he likes” Eleanor said.

“Okay. I guess I’ll give it a try when he gets back”  
“Great! Now, how about we get back to the shops!” Perrie exclaimed.

~.:o:.~

Later that night I laid in Harry’s bed waiting for him to come home. My eyes burned and I could barely keep them open, but I forced myself to stay awake until he got back. I glanced at the alarm clock on the bedside table and saw that it was three in the morning. I let out a deep sigh knowing that I would have to get up in five hours to record some more of the album. I closed my eyes a little, but kept myself awake. After an hour or two I heard the door open followed by footsteps coming towards the door. The door opened and creaked slightly at the hinges. I heard someone fiddling with their belt buckle as they slipped off their clothes. The bed dipped in as they laid down behind me. Strong arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me close. I turned around and my eyes met those emerald green ones I had missed so much the past week. Harry smiled at me.  
“I thought you were asleep” he said.

“I couldn’t sleep until you got here. I missed you” I muttered as I snuggled up closer to him.

“I missed you, too”

He pressed his soft lips to mine and my hands immediately made their way into his curly hair. A few moments later he pulled away to place a kiss on both of my cheeks, my forehead, and then to my nose. 

“Go to sleep, love. You have to get up in a few hours. I’ll be here when you wake up”

I didn’t have to be told twice. My eyes closed and I drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

~.:o:.~

The next morning I woke up to find that Harry was gone. I sat up and looked around tiredly. Did I dream that he came home last night? My eyes landed on his luggage piled up near the door. So he is home, but where is he? My question was quickly answered by the sound of the smoke alarm going off. I ran out of the room and into the kitchen where I found Harry waving a towel in front of the smoke alarm. A smoking pan sat on the stove with what looked like a charcoaled pancake in it. I couldn’t help but laugh at him. He turned around and smiled sheepishly. 

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you. I wanted to make you breakfast, but I’m a little out of practice” he said with a laugh.

“Ya think? Here, you deal with the smoke alarm and I’ll make the pancakes”

“Fine, but I’m making you dinner”

“Alright”

I took the pan off the stove then scraped the blackened pancake into the trash bin before going back and pouring fresh batter in. Harry finally got the alarm to go off and he came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. I smiled and leaned back against him as he nuzzled his nose into my neck.  
“Mmm. I forgot how amazing you look in my clothes” he muttered against my skin.

I was about to ask him what he was talking about, but then I realized that I had slipped on one of his shirts last night to wear for pajamas. It was a little big on me and went down a few inches past my bum so I had to wear shorts with it, but it was comfortable so I didn’t mind. I smiled and flipped the pancake. 

“I’ve been looking for that shirt. I thought I lost it at some hotel or a crazy fan stole it”

“That would have been funny. I could just imagine some girl running home to tell her friends how she snuck into your hotel room and stole one of your shirts”

“Well, now that you say it like that it’s really creepy”

We both burst out laughing at the thought. I finished up the pancakes then set them on plates for the two of us, then we leaned against the counter to eat our breakfast. 

“So, did you have fun without me?” I asked.

“Yeah, it was fun performing and stuff, but I really missed having you there when I woke up. What about you? Did you miss me?”

 

“Nope, when you were gone I found this really nice American boy and we’re going to get married and have thirty kids” I rolled my eyes and smacked his arm lightly. “Of course I missed you, idiot”

Harry chuckled, then turned to me with a smirk on his face. He reached over and slid my plate away from me as I took a bite of pancake, then took my fork. I swallowed and raised my eyebrows at him.

“Hey, I was gonna eat that”

“You can finish it after this”

He turned me so my back was against the counter, then pressed his hungry lips to mine. I immediately responded by wrapping my arms around his neck, my lips falling into sync with his. His tongue slid into my mouth and left no place untouched as we fought for dominance. I felt his hands slide down to my thighs, lifting me up and put me on the counter. His lips left mine and moved down to my neck, leaving butterfly kisses as he moved.


	23. Chapter 23

I walked around the plain white one bedroom apartment that was located on the west side of the city. Harry and I have been house hunting with Bob, our real estate agent, since 7AM which was over six hours ago. We’ve been through at least ten apartments and houses, but neither of us took a liking to any of them. 

“What do you think?” Harry whispered to me as Bob went on about the apartment.

“I don’t know. It seems too plain to me” I whispered back.

“I was thinking the same thing”

“Do you think he’ll notice if we go outside?” Harry chuckled quietly and shook his head.

“Probably not. Let’s go”

We made our way back outside and stood on the sidewalk as we looked through the folder that Bob gave us. It had pictures of all the places he wanted to take us to and thought we would like, but none of them really stood out. 

“I don’t think we’ll find one today. We’ve been at this for hours and I’m getting bored” I mumbled as I flipped through pictures.

“Don’t worry, love. We’ll find one. In the meantime, Lou and Tom invited us over for supper tonight”

My face immediately lit up. Lux was THE most adorable baby ever and I loved that kid to death. The first time I met her was on tour with the boys and quickly became my little buddy. 

“Oh my gosh! I haven’t seen Lux in forever!”

“Me either”

“Ah, there you are” Bob said as he walked over to us. “What did you think?”

“Weeelllllll.....” I started.

“It’s not really for us. I think we should stop for the day and pick up tomorrow” Harry said.

“Yeah. Oh, and if it’s possible, could you please make sure that none of the houses have a fireplace?” Bob raised his eyebrows. I’m sure he had never heard such a question before. Most people would love to have a fireplace in their home, but I was still having trouble with fire so it would have to wait. Maybe in the future we could put one in. 

“Um...sure. May I ask why?” Bob asked.

Harry reached over and grabbed my hand then gave it a reassuring squeeze. He looked back up at Bob who was looking at us, expecting us to give him an explanation.

“We had a bit of a run in with fire a few months ago. I don’t think it’s a good idea to have it around for a while yet” Harry answered.

“I see. I’ll get right on that. So, should we pick up things tomorrow afternoon? Say one o’clock?”

“Sure”

“Alright. See you then”

He shook both our hands then left in his car. Harry and I got in the Range Rover before taking off ourselves on course to Lou’s house. I stared out the window, feeling guilty for causing so much trouble. You’d think that after so many months I’d be over that stupid fire by now, but I’m not. It still haunts me. I have nightmares about it nearly every night and every time I get near fire it brings back memories of that night. There was this feeling deep in my gut that something wasn’t right about the fire. I just can’t explain it. It’s like I was missing something. My head started throbbing as I tried to think and the more I thought about it the worse it got. 

“Emily? You alright?” Harry asked worriedly.

“Yeah. Just got a headache is all. I’ll be fine”

He didn’t look completely convinced, but decided to let it go. A few minutes later we turned down Lou’s street in Primrose Hill. As we passed by the houses I noticed one in particular that had a for sale sign in front of it. 

“Harry, stop the car” I said.

“What?”

“Stop the car”

He pulled over and I got out to look at the house. It looked normal from the outside, but once I got to the window and peered in I immediately took a liking to it. The inside was beautiful. Harry stepped up beside me wondering what I was doing, but once he looked inside he figured it out for himself. 

“Wow” he said.

“I think we should start here tomorrow. I have a good feeling about this place”

“Yeah. It looks amazing. Now, let’s go before someone calls the cops on us”

I giggled as he pulled me away from the house and back to the car. After he wrote down the address we drove to Lou’s house. The moment we got there we saw Tom sitting on the couch by the window with Lux looking over his shoulder. She saw us and I waved at her. She smiled widely then hit her hand on the window. 

“Luxy!” I squealed as I jumped out of the car.  
I ran up to the window and started making funny faces at her so she would laugh. Tom looked back with a confused expression on his face then laughed himself when he saw the way my face looked pressed against the window. I smiled and waved at him. Lou opened the door for us and we stepped inside. 

“LouLou! I haven’t seen you in forever!” I said giving her a hug.

“I know. It’s been too long. How have you been?”

“I’ve been great. I’m thinking about doing something different with my hair. Maybe going lighter. What do you think?”

“I think it’s a wonderful idea. You and I will have to set up a date soon”

 

“Sounds good. Hey, you know that white house down the street with the brick arch over the driveway?”

“Yeah. The people who lived there just moved out of it. Why? You thinking of buying?”

“Maybe. Harry and I just spent all day looking at apartments with the most talkative and boring real estate agent ever. It was horrible”

Lou laughed.  
“Come in the kitchen and tell me about it”

I went to follow her, but paused when I saw Harry playing Patty Cake with Lux on the floor. I smiled at them. He was so good with kids and seeing him with her made my heart melt. He looked up, noticing me staring, and smiled. I gave him a small wave before going into the kitchen where Lou was finishing up supper. We caught up with Tom and Lou, occasionally getting distracted by Lux randomly popping into the conversation with baby talk.

Hours flew by and we finally had to say goodbye to them so Lux could go to bed. I set up a date with Lou so she could cut my hair. Harry and Tom decided that while we did that they would take Lux out to the park or something to get out of the house. It was good for me, because I kind of wanted to surprise Harry with what my look would be like. I already approved it with Simon beforehand. I figured that since I was starting with a new label and basically a new life I would switch things up a bit and live a little. What the hell, right?  
~.:o:.~

The next afternoon we went back to the house we saw the day before with Bob. He got us the keys and everything so we could see the inside. It was even more amazing than I had imagined. The walls were a creme color and most of the furniture was the same apart from a few colorful pieces. It was more space than we needed, but we figured that since we always had friends over that it would be alright. Plus our families would be able to stay here if they decided to visit instead of paying for a hotel. Either way it was a win win situation and we both loved it. 

“Well?” Harry asked me.

“I love it. What do you think?”

“I love it as well. It’s perfect”

“So, are you ready to buy?” Bob asked hopefully.

Harry and I looked at each other then smiled.  
“We’ll take it”

~.:o:.~

Moving in was tough. I had to work around my recording schedule which meant that I got little to no sleep most days because all of my time was spent either packing and moving or recording. Somehow I managed to fit in going back home to grab the rest of my stuff that was in my room. My dad wasn’t too happy about Harry and I moving in together at first, but Harry managed to convince him otherwise after having a long discussion with him. It was actually quite funny when we told him.

~.:o:.~

*FLASHBACK* 

“YOU’RE WHAT?!” My father bellowed.

“We’re moving in together. We already found a house and nothing you say will make me change my mind” I stated firmly.

“Emily, you’ve only just turned twenty one! If you two move in together then you’ll be more tempted to have sex and my daughter is too young to be having babies!”

“Dad! I practically live with him anyways! This way we’ll be saving money and we’ll have room when family comes to visit”

“You’re still so little though! My baby girl can’t grow up yet!” He pulled me into his arms and started getting emotional. I’ve always been a daddy’s girl and we had a special bond that no one else would understand. Not even Matt. Sure we loved him just as much, but it was different than this. I looked over my father’s shoulder at Harry who looked slightly scared and confused. 

“Help me” I mouthed to him.  
“I...Um...Sir?” he stammered.  
Dad stood up and looked over at him with hard eyes that made Harry visibly shiver. He’d never seen my father like this before so it was terrifying to him, but I knew that Dad was just putting on a show for him. 

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to speak with you privately about this whole situation” Harry spoke, more calmly this time.

“Alright, fine. Come with me”

Harry followed him into his office while I sat out on the couch with Matt. We both looked at each other and laughed. 

“Did you see Harry’s face?” Matt said through his laughter.

“He looked like he was going to shit his pants” I replied.

We both laughed harder. I felt bad for picking on Harry like this, but it was just so funny because we knew that my father wasn’t actually mad. He was probably messing with Harry like he did with my other friends or boyfriends.

A long time passed before the pair finally emerged from the office, and both of them seemed happy. Harry walked over and kissed my cheek. 

“All good?” I asked.

“All good” he replied with a smile.

I looked over his shoulder at my father who nodded.

“You’re mean, you know that?” I told him.

He chuckled.

“I know”

~.:o:.~

“Where do you want this box?” Liam asked as he walked into the door of our new house.  
He and the boys, along with my family and band, were helping us move as well. They did all the heavy lifting while the girls helped me unpack everything. 

“Put that in the bedroom upstairs”

He nodded and walked up the stairs. I looked around at all of the unpacked boxes that we still had to put away and sighed. 

“This is going to take a while” I said to myself.

Two strong arms wrapped around my waist from behind and I turned around to see Harry smiling at me. He kissed my cheek and rested his chin on my shoulder. 

“Yes, but when it’s finished it’ll all be worth it. Why don’t you take a break. You’re exhausted”

“I can’t just leave you guys to finish this”

“Yes, you can. Besides, you have no choice in the matter”

Before I could protest Harry lifted me into his arms bridal style and carried me upstairs to the bedroom where our bed was already set up. He set me on the bed and I immediately felt tired as I sunk into the soft mattress. Harry covered me up then gave me a kiss on the forehead before turning to leave. I grabbed his hand to stop him. 

“Stay until I fall asleep?” He smiled and laid down next to me, his hand making its way into mine. He brought my knuckles to his lips, placing a soft kiss upon them before singing a familiar tune. 

“Your hand fits in mine like it’s made just for me...” 

~.:o:.~

Harry’s POV

Emily fell asleep before I even got to the chorus of the song. She was exhausted. We’ve spent the past two days moving in after she got back from the studio in the afternoon and she barely has time to sleep. I knew she didn’t want to make anyone else doing most of the work, but she needed rest.  
I watched her sleep for a few moments before slipping out of her grip and heading back downstairs to find everyone gone except for Matt and Jack lounging in the living room. I glanced outside to see all of the boxes were now inside the house and placed in the correct room. 

“We done already?” I asked no one in particular.

“Yep. Where’s Emily?” Matt asked.

“She’s asleep. Passed out the second she hit the pillow” I replied as I sat beside Louis on the couch.

“Good. It’s about time she actually slept” Jack said.

“I actually wanted to talk to you about that. Her nightmares about the fire seem to be getting worse." 

The two men stared at me in silence for a long while, thinking about what I just told them. Jack was the first to break the silence. 

"Is there anything new?"

"I don't know. Every time I ask her about it she just shrugs it off. She gets headaches a lot too"

"We should take her in again to have her checked out. We'll come back next week after you two settle in"

"Let me try talking her into it first before we force anything on her"

He nodded and I sat back into the couch. In times like these I wished that Emily wasn't so damn stubborn. She tries to be independent, because that's how she grew up. Mostly alone with only a handful of people to fall back on. She had it rough, while I was lucky enough to have my friends, family, and the boys. I guess that's why I've been hesitant to tell anyone about her condition. I don't want to lose that trust with her when it's so easy to break. She's still so fragile, yet she acts like everything's alright. She keeps things to herself and at times doesn't even let me in on what she's thinking about. Hopefully I'll be able to change all that sooner than later. 

"Well, we better get going" Matt said as he stood from his seat.

I stood up along with Jack and shook their hands. 

"Thanks for helping out today. It probably would have taken a week to move all of this stuff otherwise" I said with a small laugh.

"Any time. Take care of my little girl" Jack said with a serious tone.

"I will"  
I walked the two men who were now like my own family to the door and bid them goodbye.  
They returned the gesture and left me alone in the box filled house. A deep sigh escaped my lips.

"Well, I better get to work" I told myself before getting to work on unpacking the boxes.

It was going to be a long night.


	24. Chapter 24

It's been three months since we moved into the house and things couldn't be better. Before I tell you anything else I should probably mention that I now have lighter hair that Lou also cut down to shoulder length instead of mid back where it was. Lou dyed my hair two days ago to a lighter color that really brought out my blue eyes. The first time Harry saw me he did a double take and just stared at me for a long time. He said it was weird seeing me with lighter hair because it made me look different, but he ended up loving it as did everyone else. We waited to tell the fans until later that day and they ended up freaking out on Harry for cheating on me with another girl because no one recognized me. That was actually quite funny.

My album is finished and Simon is sending me off on a four month tour by the end of the week to promote it. It's going to suck being away from Harry again, but I'm just itching to get back on the stage again. I've missed the adrenaline rush that comes with performing in front of thousands of people who share a similar passion to music.

Simon had called me a few minutes ago so I could get to know my new tour manager that he hired for me. After hearing about what happened with Max, he personally went out and found me one of his most trusted colleagues to travel with me. I reminded myself to thank him for that later.

I walked into the restaurant we were meeting at and quickly found Simon at a table near the window with a woman sitting across from him. He glanced over the woman's shoulder and smiled when he saw me walking over. They both stood up as I got to the table.

"Good morning, Emily" he greeted.

"Morning, Simon" I replied.

"Emily, I'd like you to meet Sara Filmore. She'll be your tour manager"

I turned my attention to the woman before me. She was beautiful. Her long wavy brown hair framed her face perfectly and brought out her hazel eyes. She had a kind face and smiled warmly at me. 

"Hello, Emily. It's so nice to finally meet you" she said shaking my hand.

"Likewise" I said with a smile. "I'm glad it's you. It gets a little tiring being outnumbered by men all the time"

Sara laughed while Simon glared at me.

"Oh, I know the feeling. We'll be changing that. Now, have a seat and let's get some food"

I smiled and sat down in one of the chairs. As the afternoon went on I grew more and more comfortable with Sara. She was like a mother figure, yet had a fun side and she reminded me a lot of Anne. After we ate Simon and Sara discussed business matters while I glanced out the window, watching the people pass by. I began to space out but Simon's voice brought me back. 

"Emily?"

"Huh? What?"

"I said that you should gather your band members together to meet Sara before the tour as well"

"Oh, alright. What day is good for you?" I asked Sara.

"I'll be free this thursday. How about we do it then?"

"Sounds good"

"Excellent. Here, I'll give you my number so you know it's me. I already have yours from Simon"

I handed her my phone and she put in her number, then we all parted ways. When I pulled up to the house I saw a familiar car in the driveway. I remembered seeing it at Harry's parents' house in Holmes Chapel when we visited them. It turns out that my theory was right because when I walked into the house I smelled the amazing aroma of Anne's cooking, followed by the sound of Harry talking with Robin on the couch while they watched football.  
After taking off my shoes and jacket I walked up behind Harry to scare him. Robin saw me but kept his mouth shut. When I got close enough to Harry I yelled while simultaneously grabbing his shoulders. He let out the most girlish scream I've ever heard as he leapt from the couch and tripped over a fallen pillow. Robin and I burst out laughing to a point where I had to hold onto the couch to keep myself from falling. 

"Emily! Oh, you're going to get it!"

My giggles immediately ceased when I realized how much trouble I was in. I took off running out of the room with Harry right on my tail. We passed Anne in the kitchen.

"Hi, Anne! Bye, Anne!" I said as I ran past.

"Get back here!" Harry yelled as he chased me out of the house.

No One’s POV

Robin walked into the kitchen to find Anne watching the couple from the window as they ran around the yard. Harry caught up to Emily and grabbed onto her waist, then spun her around before they fell into the grass in a heap of laughter. Anne smiled at the pair as they continued to wrestle and laugh in the lawn. She was happy for her son. He finally found someone that he could be himself with. Someone that he loved with all his heart, and she felt the same way. She could see herself two or three years down the road watching as they stood at the altar exchanging vows that they would keep forever. The thought made her tear up. 

"You alright, hun?" Robin asked her.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Just daydreaming about wedding bells"

Robin chuckled and wrapped his arms around her. She turned to kiss his cheek.

"They really are the perfect young couple aren't they?" He asked as he turned his attention back to the two of them.

"Yeah. They are"

Harry’s POV

"Say it!" I said through my laughter as my fingers tickled Emily's sides.

"Never!" She cried as she attempted to escape.

She couldn't move, however, because I was straddling her waist so she couldn't get away. This was my way of torturing her for scaring me earlier. 

"Say it and I'll stop"  
"Alright! Alright! Harry Styles is a sexy beast!"  
I grinned and sat back.

"You think I'm sexy? Why thank you babe"

"Oh, totally. You're so sexy when you scream like a girl" she teased.

"Hey! You're the one that scared me!"

"And I regret nothing!" she laughed.

I dropped my jaw then climbed off of her before moving to sit on the grass facing away from her. I crossed my arms over my chest and pretended to be mad. She sat up behind me, but I didn't look back. A second later her arms wrapped around my neck and I felt her hot breath against my neck. 

"I'm sorry. I was just teasing"

She kissed my neck then moved up my jaw to my cheek. I couldn't help but crack a smile.

"Emily, my parents are watching us from the window" I told her.

"What!?" Emily's head snapped up and she looked over at the window to find that I was telling the truth. My mum and Robin noticed that we caught them and quickly walked away like they weren't doing anything. Emily blushed and buried her face into the back of my shirt. 

"Oh my god. I forgot they were here"

"Me too" I turned around to face her, my lips moving closer to hers. "but now they're gone so..."

"Harry no. They'll catch us"

"So? It's just a kiss. Come on, I haven't seen you all day. Please?" She giggled and closed the distance between our lips. I gently pushed her backwards without breaking the kiss until her back was against the grass. Our lips moved together under the setting sky. I pulled back so I could look at her beautiful face. Her slightly lighter hair brought out little features that I never noticed before, like the small scar she had on her left cheek. I reached my hand up to her cheek and gently caressed it with my thumb. When I asked her about it she told me that it was from her mother the night she left. It amazed me how someone could hurt such a wonderful human being like her. 

"You're thinking too hard" Emily said.

My attention turned back to her blue eyes. They were looking back at me with worry and concern.

"I seem to be doing that a lot lately...So how did the meeting with your new manager go?"

"It was good. She's really nice"

"She?"

"Yeah. Sara Filmore"  
"That's great. I'm glad Simon found you someone you can get along with"  
"Yeah...Well, we better get back inside before your parents think something is going on"

I chuckled and nodded.  
"Yeah. That's probably a good idea"

I stood up and took her hands so I could pull her to her feet. My left hand held hers as we made our way back into the house where my mum was setting all of the food out on the table. 

"Need any help, Anne?" Emily asked her.

"Um, I think we just need the plates from the kitchen"

"Alright"

She let go of my hand and made her way into the kitchen to get them for her. I watched her go until she disappeared into the kitchen. 

"You better marry that girl, Harry" My mum said.

I smiled at her.

"I'm planning on it"

"You both are welcome to stay here" Emily said as my mum and stepdad gathered their things.

"That's very sweet of you, Emily, but we both have to work in the morning. We'll come visit again soon"

"You're welcome anytime" Emily replied with a smile.

I watched them hug and say their goodbyes. The two of them got along great and I'm extremely thankful for that, even if they do share embarrassing stories about me. My mum turned to me and gave me a big hug. 

"Bye, Mum. Drive safe and call me when you guys get home"

"We will. You're such a worry wart. Don't do that, it'll give you wrinkles like me that make you look old"

"You don't look old. You're beautiful" I said kissing her cheek.

She smiled and gave me another hug.

"I love you, honey"

"Love you, too"

I gave her another hug before they went out to the car. We waved goodbye to them as they pulled out of the driveway, then turned to go back inside. Emily made her way into the kitchen to wash the dishes from tonight. I followed her to the sink and put my arms around her waist. 

"Why don't you leave them for tomorrow?" I brushed my lips along her neck causing her to visibly shiver in my arms.

"Harry" she breathed.

I smiled against her skin but didn't stop. I left a few more kisses along her neck before she spun around and slammed her lips onto mine. My tongue slid across her bottom lip asking for entrance that she immediately granted, her fingers tangling themselves in my hair.  
The next thing I knew we were in the bedroom with all but our underwear thrown onto the floor. I continued kissing her neck and leaving love bites. The soft moans that were coming out of her were driving me insane and I wanted her so bad, but I had to stop myself. I pulled back, looking into her eyes as we both breathed heavily. I needed to make sure that she was okay with this, since it was her first time. 

"Why did you stop?" She asked.

"Are you...Are you sure you want to do this?"

She stared at me for a long moment, then she pulled me down to kiss my lips.

"I'm positive. I love you, Harry"

I smiled and kissed her again.

"I love you"

~.:o:.~

Emily’s POV 

"Harry! I'm leaving!" I called as I grabbed my keys from the counter.

Five days have passed since that night. It was absolutely amazing. Harry was so gentle with me and made sure that I was alright. The next morning I woke up to him bringing me breakfast in bed, thankfully he didn't burn anything that time. Last night was yet another amazing time, but I promised myself that we'd wait a while before doing it again. 

"Wait!" Harry yelled.

He came running down the stairs, nearly tripping as he did so, and pulled me into a passionate kiss. When we separated I just stood there in a daze. This is what he does to me now. When his hand brushes against mine it sends a shock down my spine. Don't even get me started on his kisses. My mind fills with dirty thoughts, but I quickly push them aside to find Harry smiling at me. 

"You forgot your goodbye kiss" he says cheekily.

"Well, I can't leave without that now can I? I'll see you later" I say as I run my hands over his bare chest.

"Hurry back. I don't think I'll be able to wait that long"

I smiled and pecked his lips before opening the door.

"You can always call Louis" I tell him before rushing out to the car.

I see him laugh and shake his head before going back inside and shutting the door behind him. A few seconds later he ran out to the car with my jacket in his hands. I rolled down my window and he handed it to me. 

"Put your jacket on or you'll get sick. It's going to rain soon"

"Yes mother"

Harry chuckled and leaned inside the car to give me a kiss.  
"Love you"

"Love you, too. I'll see you later"

"Bye, babe"

Harry walked back inside and I pulled out of the driveway then drove to a restaurant where I would meet Sara and the rest of the band to hang out and get to know her more. When I arrived I discovered that everyone else was already there waiting for me. 

"Emily! It took you long enough!" Dylan, my bassist, exclaimed as I walked up.

"Oh shut up. It's not like you haven't been late for a meeting before"

"Hey that was one time and I had a perfectly good reason for being late"

"Yeah, because Bigfoot just casually stroll into your house and locked you in your room" Jason replied with a laugh.

Everyone cracked up at the comment, including Sara. As the night went on we all got to see how awesome and down to earth she truly was. She was like one of those cool moms who everyone wanted to hang out with. I had a feeling that we would get along great during the upcoming tour. 

"So, Emily. You and Harry have been spending a lot of alone time together" Jenna said, quiet enough so only I could hear.

"Yeah. So?"

"So, have you guys...you know"

"That's none of your business" I replied with a blush.

"Oh my god! You have!"

"Shh!"

"So how was it?" She grinned.

"Well if you must know it happened a long time ago before the fire. But we hadn't really done it again until recently... and yes, all times were amazing. That's all I'm saying." 

By the time I got home it was pouring rain out and the second I stepped outside my clothes got soaked. I opened the door and stepped into the warm entryway to find an unknown pair of shoes along with a jacket. 

'Hmm. That's odd' I thought. 'Harry must have company over'

"Harry! I'm home!" I called as I walked in.

When he didn't answer I began to get a little worried. His car was here and his shoes were by the door so he had to be here. 

'Maybe he's taking a nap' I thought as I made my way to the living room.  
It was then that I noticed a woman's jumper lying on the floor beside a handbag that wasn't mine. 

"Harry?" 

I walked further into the room and froze. There he was. Lying with his back on the couch....sucking the face off some blonde chick.  
My keys dropped out of my hand and caught their attention crashed to the floor. Harry saw me and immediately pushed her away, which led me to yet another shocking discovery. The girl he was making out with was none other than my evil step-sister, Bella. She just looked at me and smirked.

"Emily. It's not what it looks like!" Harry exclaimed.

Tears started falling from my eyes as my heart shattered into a million pieces. I couldn't take it anymore. I turned and ran out of the house.

"Emily!" Harry called as he took off after me.

I ran out into the pouring rain, thunder booming in the distance. I just stood there, not even caring that my clothes were getting soaked with each passing second. The droplets fell onto my wet cheeks, hiding the tears that were already streaming down them. I started running again and turned left around the brick wall, then bumped into someone's chest. The person grabbed onto me, keeping me from falling over. 

"Emily!?" Harry's voice called as he closed in.

I was about to take off again, but the person I ran into grabbed my wrist, slamming me into the wall, before roughly pressing their lips to mine. I stood there in shock, not really knowing what was going on. When they finally pulled away I saw someone who I never expected to see. 

"Eric" I breathed.

He smirked at me just like Bella did back at the house. "Thanks for taking me back babe. I'll see you tomorrow like we planned" he said as he pressed his lips to my cheek.

I blinked as he casually walked away like nothing happened. What the hell was that and why was he here? I was about to ask him, but then I paused when I saw who was watching....Harry. His face showed mixed emotions. Shock...Hurt...Anger. Everything that I felt when I saw him with Bella. His hands balled into fists, teeth clenched tightly. 

"You fucking bitch!" He yelled. "You've been cheating on me!?"

"No! He just showed up and kissed me! I didn't do anything!" I defended myself.

"Bullshit!"

"What about you huh!? Did you enjoy a nice game of tonsil hockey with Bella!?"

"Don't change the subject!"  
"I didn't change the subject. Last time I checked you were accusing me of cheating when you went and cheated yourself!"  
"I didn't cheat!"

"Neither did I!"

"I just fucking saw you!"

"That wasn't my fault! Would you stop being an asshole and listen to what I'm saying!?"

"No! I won't listen! There's absolutely nothing to say. No, I didn't cheat on you. Bella showed up at the door and came onto me the second you walked in, but now I'm damn glad she did. Because of her I got to see the slut you really are! I wish I'd never gone into that stupid fire!"

I felt my heart break into a million pieces. We may have been able to work out this argument, but after he said that there was no way. His eyes widened when he realized what he just said, his angry expression was immediately replaced with regret.

"Emily...I-I didn't mean-"

He reached out to touch my arm, but I pulled back.

"Don't"

My voice cracked slightly, tears stinging my eyes. A lump formed in my throat, but I forced it back. I took a deep breath and turned away from him so I wouldn't have to see his face. 

"I'll send someone to get my stuff tomorrow"

"Emily, no. Please, don't do this" he pleaded as tears formed in his eyes.

"We're done"

Without another word I left. I half expected him to run after me, but he didn't. I kept walking until I finally stopped in front of a familiar building. My feet automatically brought me to the door I'd visited many times before and my hand lifted up to knock on it. 

"Coming!" A voice called from inside.

A moment later the door opened revealing the blonde Irishman who I became my best friend from day one. The one I could always turn to when I didn't have Harry around to make me feel better. His blue eyes widened when he saw me standing there soaking wet and shivering from the cold.  
"Emily? What's wrong? Where's Harry?" 

I didn't answer him. Instead, I just rushed into his arms and let it all out. All of my sadness, pain, and anger that I had somehow held in during the fifteen minute walk to his door. He held me for a moment then pushed me back so he could look at me. 

"Is Harry alright?" He asked.

Of course he would ask that. I bet he thought something horrible happened to him by the way I was acting. All I could do was nod to him and he relaxed a bit. 

"Come on. Let's get you warmed up"

He kept his arms around me as he led me inside the apartment.


	25. Chapter 25

Niall’s POV

I was just about to sit down and watch some TV when there was a knock at the door. My bum paused inches from the seat and a deep sigh escaped my lips. 

"Coming!" I called as I stood back up.

I walked over to the door and opened it to see Emily standing there soaking wet. Her eyes were all red and puffy from crying and she was shivering from the cold. 

"Emily? What's wrong? Where's Harry?" 

The expression on her face terrified me. She looked like she just witnessed someone being murdered or something horrible. When I asked about Harry she immediately broke down in my arms, igniting an even greater fear that something happened to Harry. I gently pushed her away and looked her in the eyes. 

"Is Harry alright?" She nodded and I relaxed. 

Good, Harry was fine, but that led me to another question. If Harry was alright then why did Emily show up at my door crying her eyes out? Then it all made sense to me. Harry must have done something to make her so upset. Something that he wouldn't be able to go back from. 

"Come on. Let's get you warmed up" I said as I led her inside.

I led her to my bedroom then grabbed her some boxers and a tshirt to where since nothing else would really fit her. 

“Here's some clothes"

She nodded with a blank expression on her face and took the clothes into the bathroom. While she did that I sent all of the boys, except Harry, a text.

To Boys: Meet me at my place in ten minutes. It's an emergency

The bathroom door opened and Emily walked out wearing my clothes with her wet ones held in her arms. I took her clothes and threw them in the dryer machine, then made my into the bedroom to grab some extra blankets. When I walked back into the living room I found Emily curled up on the couch staring blankly at the wall. I slowly made my way over to her and covered her body with the blanket, then took a seat beside her. She leaned into me and I wrapped my arms around her, rubbing her arms to help them warm up faster. We sat there in silence, apart from her occasional sniffling, until she broke the silence. 

"I caught him kissing another girl... then my ex popped out of nowhere and kissed me in front of Harry which pissed him off so he said he wished he never went into the fire to get me.."

"What?" She went on to tell me what happened and I just couldn't believe it. Harry loves Emily more than anything in the world. 

"I'm so sorry, Emily. I-I don't know what to say" I said once I found my words.

"I don't understand...I thought he loved me..."

"Hey" I sat her up and looked her straight in the eyes. 

"Harry loves you more than anyone has ever loved another. He would die for you and nearly did the night of the fire. He can be stupid and doesn't make the right choices, but he will always love you"

She nodded slowly. A moment later a loud banging was heard on the door. 

"Niall! Open up!" Louis' loud voice boomed.

"I'll be back" I told Emily before getting up to answer it.

I opened the door to three very worried guys. 

"What's going on? What's the emergency?" Liam asked.

I glanced back at Emily who had shifted positions so she was now lying down on the couch, then stepped out into the hallway with the boys and shut the door behind me. 

"Well?" Zayn pressed.

I explained the situation and watched as their faces became shocked. They all stared at me like I was insane. 

"WHAT!?" 

Harry’s POV

I don't know how long I stood there in the pouring rain, staring at the place where Emily once stood, but I just couldn't find the strength to move. I knew I should have shut my mouth when I saw the confusion on her face when I accused her of cheating, but I was just so angry.  
It's because of that bitch Bella. If she hadn't shown up out of the blue then this would have never happened. 

*Flashback*

I pulled the last item out of the last moving box and placed it on the dresser in the bedroom. It was a picture of Emily and I while we were in LA. We were all at the beach and Liam was taking candid pictures of all of us to post on Twitter. I was smiling for a photo when Emily suddenly jumped on my back and gave me a kiss on the cheek. Liam snapped the photo with me smiling like an idiot with arms and legs wrapped around me and her lips pressed to my cheek. I couldn't help but smile at the memory.

My reminiscing ended however, when I heard a knock at the door. I lifted up the box from the floor and carried it downstairs. After setting it by the back door for me to take out later I made my way to the front to find a blonde haired girl standing there, her clothes and hair wet from the rain. 

"Can I help you?" I asked.

"Is this where Emily Brighten lives now? I'm her step-sister, Bella. Can I come in?" She asked.

I remained in the doorway, blocking her from getting inside. My mind flashed back to the night Emily showed up at my hotel room. She told me that her step-sister and ex had formed a band and stole her songs and label. I'm pretty sure I remember her telling me that Bella was a brunette though, so she must have dyed her hair. Either way if I let her in now then Emily would definitely be pissed off at me. 

"I don't think that's a good idea. She told me what you did to her"

Bella frowned, slightly taken aback by my reaction, but quickly got back her composure. 

"I figured she would...Look, I came here to tell her what really happened. Eric was the one who organized this whole thing. I didn't want to do it, but I had no choice. Please. I just want to make things right"

I watched her for a moment, studying her face. She seemed remorseful, but I still didn't trust her completely. Then again I couldn't just let her stand out in the rain either. I sighed and stepped aside. 

"Come in" I said.

"Thank you" she said as she walked inside.  
She took off her wet jacket and shoes then looked around at the house.  
"Wow. This place is beautiful"

"Yeah. It is. Would you like some tea?"

"Yes, please"

I made my way into the kitchen to make the tea while she explored the living room. I felt really uncomfortable being alone in the house with another girl, but I pushed it aside since Emily would be home any minute.

The teapot whistled loudly from the stove and I jumped at the sound. Bella giggled as I took it off of the stove and turned it off. As I poured the tea I felt tugging on my shirt. I immediately spun around and stepped away from Bella. 

"What are you doing?!" I asked angrily.

"Sorry, I was just fixing your shirt. It rose up a little and was distracting" she said.

"Oh...Sorry" I muttered.

"It's ok. I probably shouldn't have done that without saying something first"

We migrated into the living room and we sat on different couches, her on the loveseat and me on the bigger one. Things were silent for a while until Bella decided to speak up. 

“I can see why she chose you”

“Who?”

“Emily, I see why she’s with you. I mean, you ran into a burning building to save this girl....sadly”

“Excuse me?” I didn’t quite hear the last part because she mumbled it, but I sure as hell didn’t like the feeling I got when she said it. It was almost like she was disappointed that I saved Emily that night from the fire. 

“You must really love her...”

“I do. More than anything, and nothing is going to change that”

“You never know, Harry. Maybe something will happen that causes you two to break up. The world can be pretty tempting”

“You’re wrong. Emily and I have something that can’t be broken”

She opened her mouth to say something else, but paused when she heard a car pull up in the driveway. Emily was home. Bella smirked and set her tea on the coffee table in front of her before making her way over to me. 

“We’ll see about that”

The next thing I knew she was on top of me, forcing me into a kiss that I was too shocked to break away from...Until I saw Emily. 

*End Flashback*  
I don’t know how long I stood there, staring at the empty space on the sidewalk where Emily had been standing. All I knew was that I messed up and just lost the love of my life. The one person who could always make me feel better with just a single smile. My everything.

I sat on the ground and leaned against the brick wall with my head in my hands, not caring that my jeans were getting soaked as I drowned in my own guilt. I didn’t mean to say those things to her, they just came out. I was angry at Bella for kissing me in the first place, and then seeing Emily kissing that guy just sent me over the edge. Now she was gone. And it was all my fault.

Niall's POV 

“What do you mean he cheated on her?!” Liam yelled.

All three of them started shooting off questions at once, but I put my hands up to stop them. 

“Guys! Let me explain”

I began to tell them everything that Emily told me and they listened intently to every word I spoke. When I finally finished they all just stared at me in silence. 

“That doesn’t make any sense. Why would Harry cheat on Emily with her step-sister? And what was her ex-boyfriend doing there?” Zayn said.

“Well, I’m going to find out Harry’s side of the story” Louis said walking away.

“I’m going with you” Zayn replied as he jogged after him.

Liam stayed where he was.

“Is Emily in there?”

“Yeah”

“I’ll stay here then”

“Okay. Come on”

The two of us walked back inside to comfort the broken girl who laid on the couch.

Louis’ POV

Zayn and I pulled up to Harry and Emily’s house to find a guy and a girl walking out to their car that was parked across the street. They were smiling and laughing. 

“That worked better than I thought. Great job, Eric” The girl said.

“Thank you, Bella”  
Wait...Bella. That’s the name of Emily’s step-sister. She was the one Harry cheated on Emily with. I jumped out of the car to go talk to them, but they were pulling away by the time I got there.  
“Dammit”

“Louis!” Zayn called from behind me.

I turned around to see him crouched down in front of a figure that was sitting against the brick wall with their head down. As I got closer I saw who it was and I felt my heart break at the sight of the younger boy. 

“Harry?” He looked up at me with eyes red from crying, wet hair sticking to his face. 

He looked so...broken. There was only one time that I have seen him look like this, and that was when he thought Emily was going to die. The only difference was that he somehow looked even worse now that they were broken up. I pulled him into my arms and he let out a heartbreaking sob. 

“S-She’s gone, Lou”

“It’s going to be alright, Harry. We’ll figure out a way to fix this”

“I don’t think I can this time...”

“You’re wrong. You and Emily are meant to be together” Zayn said.

“Come on. Let’s get you out of the rain” I said.

We helped Harry to his feet and went back inside the house. I watched as he made his way up the stairs to change out of his wet clothes, then turned to Zayn when he was out of sight.   
“This is worse than I thought...” A few minutes later I started to get worried about Harry. 

He had been upstairs for twenty minutes. It didn’t take that long to change your clothes. I made my way to the bedroom to find him zipping up a duffel bag full of clothes. 

“Harry? What are you doing?”

“I’m going home for a while”

“What?! You’re not even going to fight for her?!”  
“No...Louis, I don’t deserve her. I said some things that I can never take back, even if I didn’t mean them. She deserves someone who won’t hurt her no matter what the reason is. Don’t try to change my mind either”  
He grabbed his bag and started to walk out the door, but I stood in the way. 

“No, I’m not letting you do this! Harry, you can’t just give up! You love her and she loves you. She’ll understand if you just talk to her”

“Louis....move”

I stared him down for a long time until I finally sighed and gave up. He walked past me and went down the stairs where Zayn was waiting. He looked just as shocked as I was. 

“Where are you going?” he asked Harry.

“Home. He’s running away from his problems” I said.

Harry dropped his bag and spun around, shoving me against the wall.

“Just leave it alone, Lou! For fucks sakes, stay out of my life for once! I don’t want your help!” he yelled.

I stood there in shock at his sudden outburst. He let me go and picked up his bag, then turned to us.

“Tell Emily she can come back home. I won’t be here” he said quietly.

Without another word he walked out of the house and drove off in his car.

Harry's POV

It was in the early hours of the next morning that I pulled into the driveway and made my way up the sidewalk until I got to the door. I rang the doorbell, hearing my mum call that she was coming a few minutes later. The door opened and she looked surprised to see me standing in front of her. 

“Harry? It’s four in the morning. What are you doing here?”

She then noticed the sad look on my face.

“Honey, what’s wrong?” That’s when I just lost it. I rushed forwards, wrapping my arms around her, and cried. She pulled me close, immediately concerned about what was going on. 

“I screwed up, Mum....I lost Emily"


End file.
